


Truth Or Dare (Never Ends Well)

by Kairipopa



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Sex, Drunken Shenanigans, Getting Together, Homophobic Language, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:00:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 51,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24087013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairipopa/pseuds/Kairipopa
Summary: Han Jisung is an introverted linguistics major, just trying to survive his college life without interference from his incredibly extroverted roommate, Lee Felix. He is pretty good at persuasion, though, and one night Jisung decides to take a break from studying to party with Felix and his close group of friends. While there, he meets Lee Minho, a force to be reckoned with while drunk. The two are clearly attracted to each other and one thing leads to another, and Han Jisung wakes up next to a marriage certificate.TLDR: Jisung and Minho, mere acquaintances, get drunk and wake up married to each other.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 137
Kudos: 742





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all!!! I got very inspired to write this at midnight just a few nights ago and I also have yet to find a beta reader, so please bear with me! I hope you enjoy the story!

“Truth or dare, Sung.”

  
To be honest, Jisung wasn’t much of a party goer, but as influential as his roommate, Felix, can be, he decided to take a well needed break from studying acoustics and indiscernible spectrograms. The explanation for why parties weren’t exactly his forte could be chalked up to two reasons.

  
One: Jisung is an introvert. A full blooded, happy-going introvert who adored his roommate to pieces but absolutely wanted to strangle him everytime a new face showed up in their shared room, forcing Jisung to socialize when his social battery was running on 20%.

  
Two: Truth or dare.

  
Ever since Jisung was young, truth or dare has been one of his worst experiences. Whether it be licking a toilet seat on his 9th birthday, to being rejected on the phone by his crush when he was 13, to now, in college, paired with alcohol, were never Jisung’s proudest moments in life.

  
“I told you Lix, I’m sitting this one out.” Jisung snarked back, taking another sip of the fruity drink in his hand. It tasted vaguely of pineapple and strongly of rum.

  
“Ah come on, you never come out to party Jisung! Let loose and have some fun!” Hyunjin, one of Felix’s many friends piped up from the carpeted flooring. Jisung, slightly buzzed, wondered how much alcohol had been spilled on that carpet.

  
“Fine, but only because finals are next week and I’d rather think about anything else.” He slid from the couch to join the not-so-perfect circle that appeared more like a cult than a bunch of fine arts majors. A snort came from one side of the circle of tipsy boys, a boy that, surprise, was also part of Felix’s group of endless friends. Now that he thinks about it, he has met all these guys at least once. And this boy was definitely the hottest.

  
“What, aren’t you like, a linguistics major or something? All you have to do is speak some words and you pass.” Jisung downed some more alcohol and a smirk graced his lips before responding.

  
“At least I have a future job secured.” Some gasps rang out, and Jisung realized that maybe saying that to a group of music and dance majors wasn’t the most ideal comeback, but he was tipsy and upset. Fortunately, the boy, maybe his name was Minho, gave a chuckle and also gulped down some more alcohol, a sour twist appearing on his face. He guessed this Minho wasn’t too bad.

  
“Uh, anyways, Sungie truth or dare.” Felix asked again, trying to ease the held breaths in the room. He noticed the group notably get more relaxed, happy that a fight didn’t break out at the first sight of conflict.

  
“Truth.” Jisung said calmly. He knew the outrage would come soon, but Jisung refused to budge. He wouldn’t take a dare after the experience in his freshman year… the boy shuddered at the thought.

  
“Aw, you’re no fun.” Felix cried out, lightly punching Jisung in the arm. “Fine. Did you eat the last slice of cake in our fridge last week?”  
“You had endless questions you could ask and you chose one you already knew the answer to?” Jisung laughed as Felix grasped his own shirt dramatically, the overdramatic boy putting on quite the performance when he was drunk.

  
“I trusted you!” His roommate called out, fake tears coming to his eyes. Jisung rolled his own eyes in return and scanned the room for his next victim.

  
“Chan.” Jisung said way too confidently in a group of people he had only met in passing. Maybe he should put down the mixed drink soon. “Truth or dare?”

  
Chan wasn’t nearly as much of a stranger as these other boys were, evident by the amount of times Felix asked Jisung to leave their room for “reasons” and coincidentally passing Chan on his way out.

  
Shocked at the sudden call out, Chan cleared his throat and announced “truth”.

  
“Is it true that you’re fucking Felix?” Tipsy Jisung really had no filter, and the back of his mind was screaming at him to not out his best friend’s sex life, but it was too late to take the words back now. Wide eyes stared back at him.

  
“Uh, yeah, I guess I am.” Chan replied cautiously, as if Jisung could attack him while this tipsy. Jisung remembers now why he hardly drinks.

  
“I thought I was the only one fucking him!” Hyunjin whines, dramatically draping himself over the shorter male next to him, Jisung thinks his name is Changmin… or something like that.

  
“Babe, please shut the fuck up.” The boy says, running his hands through Hyunjin’s hair. Huh. He’d have to ask Felix about his harem of attractive men when he wasn’t so inebriated.

  
Chan quickly switched the spotlight away from himself, choosing Seungmin who was a quiet theater major. Jisung wasn’t entirely sure how he ended up in this weird group of friends that Felix hand picked, but he guesses it has something to do with his twink ass and charming voice.

  
Seungmin, in return, picks the boy Jisung remembered correctly as Minho. He watches him with judgemental eyes, curious as to what this boy will pick. Something about him screamed ‘in charge’, even though he blended in with the rest of the group. He was inexplicably drawn to Minho’s demeanor, even if they had only met once before, in a quick flash where Felix had made plans to dance with said friend and needed to run to the dorm quickly to grab his water bottle and workout clothes. He was attractive, no doubt, and when Jisung asked Felix about the man, his only response was “don’t even think about it, Sung, he’s emotionally unavailable. I would know.” and that was the end of that. But now, sitting drunk in a dimly lit living room illuminated only by a bulb with no lampshade and the glow from Minho’s face, Jisung realized he may have a slight infatuation with the quirk in the boy’s lips and the way his hair perfectly fell over his forehead.

  
“Dare.” The boy confidently announced, pretending as if the alcohol wasn’t affecting him as much as it was. Or maybe it was the flickering of the 30 watt bulb, Jisung couldn’t really tell.

  
“Make out with the hottest person in the room for a minute.”

  
The side conversations occurring quickly quieted down, all eyes boring into Minho’s next move. The boy seemed unphased by this, simply placing his red solo cup behind him and crawling to the center, closer and closer until…

  
“Oh. Hi.” Jisung said numbly. This was weird.

  
“Hey there. Mind if I kiss you?”

  
“Uh, go ahead.” Jisung couldn’t process anything going on around him, not the fact that Minho had somehow picked him out of all the attractive dancers surrounding them, and certainly not the soft lips pressing against his just as quickly as his heart rate. Jisung’s been kissed before, sure, but he was almost always sober and in control, both of which were absolutely not applicable at this moment.

  
Somehow Minho’s lips tasted more like pineapple than the striking rum taste, and Jisung pressed in closer for more, his hands moved from the red solo cup to Minho’s cheek, lightly running his fingertips over the soft skin. There was spit running down his cheek, cheeks dusted a bright red from a combination of embarrassment and heat, and small moans leaving his lips. The younger would have even forgotten they were surrounded by others until Seungmin awkwardly cleared his throat and told the two that their time was up.

  
Jisung held eye contact with Minho for merely a second before being forced to look away, trying to look busy as he searched for his forgotten drink sitting next to him on the carpet. He had never been more grateful that his drink was more rum than pineapple juice.

  
“Hey Sung, you should stop drinking.” Felix said, but made no move to stop Jisung from downing the rest of his drink in one large gulp. The alcohol burned less than the fire in his stomach, courtesy of one Lee Minho. Jisung noticed that although Felix scolded him for drinking so much, he was just as far gone as Jisung was.  
Minho ended up choosing Felix as the next victim of this game, Felix carefully muttering “truth”. Minho, the sneaky bastard he is, asked the boy how many sex toys he had in their dorm.

  
“S-seven.” Felix slurred, not as embarrassed as he should have been.

  
“SEVEN?” Hyunjin loudly gasped, leaning towards the freckled boy. “We’ve only ever used that one vibrator!”

  
“Jinnie, please shut up about your sex life.” The boy next to Hyunjin said, pulling the boy into his lap to calm him down. It seemed like he was the least drunk out of everyone.

  
Felix called on Changbin, and Changbin called on Chan, and finally Chan made the executive decision to end the game there. Once that was decided, the boys one by one began passing out from exhaustion and drunkenness. Jisung attempted to make his way to the kitchen to throw his cup away, unreasonably fixated on not leaving garbage in the already trashed living room. He barely made it into the kitchen before he was stumbling, grabbing onto the counter tops in order to steady himself. He laughed to himself, he hadn’t felt this drunk since the first time he drank in high school. After successfully throwing his cup into the already overflowing trash can, courtesy of three pizza boxes and empty plates, Jisung started to stumble back to the living room to sleep when he was interrupted by none other than Minho.

  
“You drank a lot.” Minho said, his words slurring enough to let Jisung know that the other was just as drunk as he was.

  
“You’re no better, Mr. Perfect.” Jisung sneered, aiming to pass the boy but Minho reached out to stop him before he left the kitchen.

  
“Mr. Perfect, huh? Does Sungie have a crush?” Who was this guy to tease Jisung while they’re both drunk out of their minds? They hardly knew each other.

  
“You’re one to talk, choosing me as ‘hottest in the room’.” Jisung retorted, making eye contact in order to assert some kind of dominance. Minho’s eyes were glazed over enough, the color hard to tell in the dim lighting.

  
“It’s the truth. You’re stunning.” Jisung’s eyes widened comically, almost sobering up at the confession. Almost.

  
“You’re pretty handsome yourself. When I think about my future husband, you’re what I imagined.” If Minho was going to be bold, Jisung was going to serve it right back at him.

  
“Yeah?” Minho said, pushing Jisung back against the wall separating the two rooms. “Why don’t we make that a reality then, baby?”

  
Jisung’s brain threw a million thoughts around his head a minute. The biggest but dulled thought, ‘don’t do this you dumbass you’re still in college!!!!’ was overpowered by drunk Jisung’s thought process, ‘marry handsome man’.

  
In the end, drunk Jisung won.

  
“Like, right now?” Jisung asked, breathless from being cornered by this man.

  
“Yeah, right now.”

  
“We are an uber ride away from Vegas.”

  
“Go get your phone, then.”

From that point on, Jisung was blacked out drunk, and all he had to prove that his memories weren’t some obscure dream was the shared hotel bed he was currently sleeping on and the marriage certificate sitting on the nightstand.

‘Oh my God’ Jisung thought. ‘Acoustics would’ve been so much better than this’.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I- I don’t even know how to explain what happened,” Jisung said, attempting to sit himself up against the pillows propped behind him. He could tell Felix was itching to ask more questions, but kept silent so that Jisung could explain himself.  
> “I just remember Minho and I getting in an Uber and heading to Vegas. I guess we got married, because I have the certificate sitting right next to me.”

Jisung laid in the hotel bed for a good while, listening to the shower running in the bathroom as Minho showered. How do you even cope with something like this? Apparently by just staring at the ceiling, hoping that you’re still dreaming.

  
His thoughts were interrupted by his loud ringtone, looking at the caller ID before answering.

  
“JISUNG,” Felix yelled, far too early in the morning for him to be so energetic. Jisung pulled the phone away from his ear and sighed as the other rambled on. “Where are you right now? I know you don’t drive, and Minho’s gone too- oh my god, did he drive you to the dorms? I’m gonna kill him, he was just as drunk as y-”

  
“Lix,” Jisung stated, his voice creaky and in need of some water. Felix immediately quieted down, waiting for him to say something. That was how their dynamic worked- Felix could talk and talk and talk, but when Jisung talked, Felix immediately stopped to listen.

  
It wasn’t always like that, and their first week of college showed that. Felix could hardly contain his excitement, talking at a million words per minute. Jisung had been pretty excited himself and attempted to keep up with his new roommate, but felt drained immediately. His thoughts were continuously cut off, and this continued to happen until one night Jisung decided to drink some kind of hard liquor and tell Felix off. It was emotional, mainly Jisung spilling tears and some alcohol on their floor, but it made the two much closer and able to understand their ways of communication.

  
“I- I don’t even know how to explain what happened,” Jisung said, attempting to sit himself up against the pillows propped behind him. He could tell Felix was itching to ask more questions, but kept silent so that Jisung could explain himself.

  
“I just remember Minho and I getting in an Uber and heading to Vegas. I guess we got married, because I have the certificate sitting right next to me.”  
Felix was shocked silent, something Jisung hasn’t witnessed in the last 9 months he knew the boy. Jisung would’ve thought that the line was disconnected until he spoke up again.

  
“You’re telling me... that you and Minho got married last night?” Felix said in a small voice.

  
“That’s… yeah.” Jisung finished off with a loud sigh, his head thumping against the headboard behind him.

  
“What did Minho say?” Felix asked, some shuffling going on in the background and a groan sounding out nearby. ‘The boys must just be waking up now’ he thought.

  
“He’s in the shower, I haven’t seen him. I guess we got a hotel after the ordeal last night.” Jisung said, shifting in bed to avoid the blinding light filtering through the window.

  
“Jesus Christ, what are you going to do, Sung? You don’t even know Minho, and divorces are expensive as hell, you can’t afford that-”

  
“I know Lix, please.” Jisung asked, needing a second to breathe. Everything was too much, too overwhelming, and he really wanted this all to be a dream. There was just no way he ended up marrying a boy he didn’t know while drunk, his family would just kill him-

  
“Oh my god,” Jisung felt more awake than he had ever been. “Felix. I’m not even out to my parents.”

  
“Shit-” There was some rustling on the other end of the speaker. “Do you need me to have Changbin pick you guys up? I’ll come along too.”

  
“Um, probably-” The door to the bathroom suddenly opened and a fully clothed Minho walked out, drying his hair on a towel. He looked good, and Jisung had to quickly avert his eyes. “I have to go, talk to you in a bit, Lix.”

  
Jisung hung up and placed the phone on the bed, awkward silence enveloping the two. Jisung didn’t even know where to start, what to say.  
“There’s still some shampoo and conditioner in there if you’d like to wash up quick.” Minho spoke first, way too calm for the catastrophic situation happening around them.

  
“Uh, sure, thank you.” Jisung mumbled, grabbing his phone as he walked into the bathroom. As he locked the door a large breath he didn’t know he was holding was released, the tension far too thick for a person who prefered no social confrontations. He quickly texted Felix the address his phone said he was at and then realized he should probably check his bank account, anxious over whose credit card they decided to use for both the marriage license and hotel last night. Jisung’s eyes widened at the new $550 charge on his card, breathing out an irritated sigh and climbing into the shower. It seemed like the universe was done throwing curveballs at Jisung for the day, as the shower water was still warm when he got in. Either Minho took a super quick shower, or he took cold showers. The latter made him shiver, wanting to spend as much time in this steam as possible. He was slowly beginning to accept that, yeah, he made a huge mistake last night, but there wasn’t much he could do about that right now. As he washed his hair and body, a new thought popped into his head.

  
Did him and Minho have sex last night?

  
His worries were quickly quelled when he realized that he woke up with all his clothes on, but maybe they put them on after…

  
The water began to cool down and that’s when Jisung decided to take a step out of the shower and face reality, as much as he didn’t want to. He threw on his clothes from last night which smelled slightly like alcohol, but relievingly not like sex, so Jisung took a confident step out of the bathroom despite the nerves making his hands shake.

  
As he entered the bedroom, he noticed Minho looking over the certificate from last night, eyebrows furrowed. Worried that he would be angry or start yelling if Jisung mentioned it, he opted for a safer route.

  
“Felix called, he said that him and Changbin were on their way to pick us up.” Jisung ran his fingers over the ring on his right hand, a habit he picked up whenever he felt anxious.

  
“So we really got married last night.” Minho stated, his tone unreadable, something that worried Jisung even further. He much preferred someone like Felix, who he could easily read.

  
“Um, yeah.” Jisung said quietly. To Jisung’s surprise, Minho didn’t start yelling, didn’t get upset or start throwing the blame anywhere. In fact, the older began to laugh. It started with a slight chuckle, but turned into a full bodied laugh, making Jisung unsure if he should laugh along or call the cops.

  
“Wow, Lee Minho, you’ve really outdone yourself this time,” the boy whispered to himself, a smile still gracing his lips. “So, what are we gonna do about this?”  
A little taken back by the carefree nature of the boy in front of him, Jisung’s tense shoulders relaxed and he huffed out a sigh.

  
“I don’t even know, I don’t have the money to afford a lawyer for divorce but my parents will kill me, I’m not even out to them yet…” Jisung trailed off, figuring that Minho wouldn’t wanna listen to his sob story.

  
“Hey, it’s ok,” Minho said, gently placing his hand on Jisung’s shoulder after seeing how uptight the younger was getting. “We’ll get through this. I should’ve been the rational one last night, I’m the oldest after all.”

  
Jisung wasn’t exactly sure what to say in response, so he opted for silence instead.

  
“And hey, there’s a lot worse people you could accidentally marry.” Minho jokes, a smile gracing his lips. Jisung gives out a small chuckle in response, the only thing he had energy for at this point. The two silently went on their phones while waiting for Changbin and Felix, until Jisung receives a loud ding on his phone and the two wordlessly pile into Changbin’s old balck Nissan. Felix, from the passenger seat, looks back at Jisung with worry. It doesn’t appear that he took the time to shower this morning, probably convincing Changbin to drive immediately after receiving Jisung’s location.

  
“Well, you’ve definitely looked worse.” Felix says with a laugh, Jisung returning his statement with a hit to the arm. Considering that it was nearing noon by the time the boys returned to their college town, narrowly missing the hotel’s extra day fees, Felix suggested that they go out for lunch at a restaurant somewhere. The boys agreed on Buffalo Wild Wings, which was both close to campus and had great student deals.

  
Jisung slid into the inside of a booth seat and Felix quickly jumped at the opportunity to sit next to his roommate and best friend. He put his hand over Jisung’s hand for reassurance, as if to say ‘it’s ok’. As a result, Jisung ended up sitting across from Minho, and next to him, Changbin.

  
The four had their orders taken, Minho ordering the spiciest out of them all. Jisung took note, he must have a high heat tolerance. Both Jisung and Minho ordered the standard hot wing, and typical Felix ordered mild. It was a good chance to tease the boy, things starting to feel almost normal… as if he wasn’t sitting across from his now-husband.

  
The group avoided the marriage talk until their plates of wings came, talking about things that happened at the house while they were away in Vegas.

  
“I caught Seungmin and Chan making out in the bathroom this morning, talk about a wake up call.” Felix groaned, rolling his eyes. “I know Chan can’t keep it in his pants but in the bathroom?”

  
“You’re one to talk,” Jisung stated offhandedly, a smirk on his lips. “I’ve walked in on you in multiple predicaments before.”

  
The bantering continued before the waitress returned with their food, the boys immediately digging into the delicious food. It was Felix who finally broke the silence on the topic of marriage.

  
“So what are you guys gonna do? Stay married?” Felix just looked at the two with big, curious eyes. Before Jisung could say anything, Minho quickly spoke up.

  
“Absolutely not.” He laughed at Felix, shaking his head at what he considered such a ridiculous idea. A pang went through his heart, but Jisung decided to ignore it and come back to that feeling later. “You already know I’m not good with commitment, Lixie.”

  
Jisung could sense that Felix was also put off by the demeaning nature of Minho’s words, gulping down his piece of chicken before defending his ‘outrageous idea’.

  
“Well, why not? It’s not like you have to live together or anything… but I know you both can’t afford a divorce right now. I mean, why not just live with it until you can afford to divorce? Friends get married all the time, I’d marry Changbin if he wasn’t so infatuated with Hyunjin.” Felix ended his rant with a smile at Changbin, kicking his foot at him under the table playfully. Minho just laughed and continued eating, his only response being an “ok, Lix”. Jisung wondered how they even became friends, considering how they didn’t seem to click as well as his other friends did with Felix. Felix sighed at the other boy’s stubbornness. To ease the tension between them all, Jisung attempted to make a joke, as introverts do.

  
“Hey Minho, you didn’t even get me a ring. I feel a little cheated.” He said with a smile. Felix’s calming demeanor helped relax Jisung enough to joke around, thinking that maybe things would turn out okay. They really could stay married until they had stable jobs and could afford the divorce fees, even if it wasn’t the most ideal considering Jisung was merely a freshman.

  
“What flavor ring pop would you like then, Jisung.” Minho played back at him. It almost felt natural, bantering back and forth with the boy. Maybe it was because of the night prior, but he unwillingly was drawn to the boy sitting ahead of him. Despite all the trouble they’ve caused themselves, he really was attractive.  
Even if he was emotionally unavailable as all hell.

The boys finished their meal and left a tip for the sweet waitress before heading back to their dorms. Of course, Felix and Jisung lived together, but Changbin and Minho lived on a farther side of campus meant for upperclassmen, so Changbin dropped the younger boys off at their dorm before leaving for their own. Before saying goodbye, Minho was able to ask Jisung for his number so that they could discuss what exactly was going to happen in their future. Jisung simply waved goodbye with a small smile, hands tightly gripping their marriage certificate.

  
The two made their way to their room silently, taking their shoes off and settling into the room for the day. Jisung fell back on his bed, just staring at the ceiling for the second time today. He began thinking, not just about the marriage, but Minho’s instant rejection as well. He supposes that it was well deserved- they didn’t even know each other. But the thought that he refused to acknowledge Felix’s thoughtful insight made him angry, gripping his pillow tightly. Jisung felt the mattress dip and soon Felix joined him on his bed, cuddling up close to the boy.

  
“I’m so sorry, Sungie.” Felix whispered, running his hands over Jisung’s arms reassuringly. His emotions didn’t hit him until now, with a warm body pressed against his own. He let out a choked sob, moving to circle his arms around Felix’s neck. He let all of his tears flow, frustrated with both himself and Minho. Felix silently ran his fingers through Jisung’s hair, and soon the latter was out of tears to cry.

  
“I shouldn’t have pressured you to go to that party, I take complete responsibility.” Felix said seriously, which caused Jisung to smile reassuringly at his roommate.

  
“You can’t even afford lunch, let alone a lawyer. How are you gonna take responsibility?” Jisung asked in a teasing manner. “It’s okay, don’t blame yourself Lix.”

  
“Minho really isn’t that bad of a person,” Felix tried to reassure Jisung in return, turning to him with wide eyes. “He shows his affection in weird ways but it’s kinda endearing. He only gets cold when it comes to commitment.”

  
And Jisung believed it. When they weren’t discussing the marriage ordeal, Minho seemed to be a pleasant person to be around. Maybe they even could’ve been close friends if it hadn’t been for this incident. His heart hurt at the thought.

  
“Do you know why he has such a hard time with commitment?” Jisung asks, just genuinely curious about the boy he just married.

  
“I’ve heard rumors that his last partner cheated on him but I’m not too sure if it’s true… I’m too scared to ask him. He’s intimidating.” Jisung totally agreed, and if he ended up on his bad side… he let out a shiver at the thought.

  
“Yeah, he is,” Jisung took a deep breath and stretched his arms out. “I have to finish this phonetics assignment, Lix, you don’t have to stay here with me if you don’t want to.” Felix looked at him as if he grew two heads, and then shook his own.

  
“Absolutely not. You can wait until tomorrow to finish your homework, tonight we’re cuddling while watching that new K-drama that Hyunjin told us about.” Jisung had to admit that sounded much more appealing, so he easily caved.

  
“Can we have some of those strawberry shortcakes you bought last week, too?” He asked, grabbing his blanket to move to their suite’s living room.

  
“Of course, Sungie.”

  
Jisung settled on the couch and began looking up the (illegal) site that Hyunjin sent to Felix and opened the first episode, pausing it while waiting for Felix to finish cutting up the strawberries. He could hear the water running and a knife against a cutting board while Lix hummed some pop song. It felt like home, and Jisung realized that this was the closest he’s ever been to finding his true family.

  
Felix returned to the living room holding a plate of delicious strawberry shortcakes, setting them next to the laptop and cuddling up next to his roommate.

  
“Ready?” Felix asked.

  
“Always.” Jisung replied. And just maybe, he meant more than just the drama ahead of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felix best roommate you heard it here first folks !!  
> I'm also still in search of a beta reader for this pic, so please contact me on Twitter if you're interested, even if you haven't beta'd before!! @honey_hyunjin !!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ve been treating myself a lot this weekend, I’ll pass this time,” Jisung said before he could regret it. That strawberry drink did look awfully appealing.  
> “Well you deserved it Sung, not everyone wakes up married to someone they don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off I need to apologize!! I uploaded the wrong chapter (I posted chapter 4 instead of chapter 3) so the correct chapter is now posted! I’ll also be posting chapter 4 because many people have already read it. I hope this clears up any gaps!!!

Jisung wakes up with a sore neck this time, having fallen asleep leaning against Felix’s shoulder. He smiled softly at how softly the other boy was sleeping, looking close to what he imagines an angel on earth would look like. He knows that whoever ends up dating Felix will be one lucky man, as the other is so willing to care for others at his own expense. Carefully, Jisung moves the blanket to totally cover Felix’s sleeping form, and he makes his way to the bathroom. After washing his hands and cleaning his face up a bit, he checks his phone, which has a new message from an unknown number.

Unknown:  
Hey, this is Minho ;3

An interesting choice of emoji, Jisung thinks, before responding with a “hey! :)” Ignoring his phone for the next hour, Jisung settles down and gets a good chunk of his homework done. Three workbook pages, a composition, a voice thread… it was like his professors wanted him to keel over from the insane amount of work.

  
After finishing his last assignment, a big breath of fresh air for Jisung (at least until the next homework assignment tomorrow), and stretched before checking back into the living room to see a barely awake Felix lying on the couch, mindlessly scrolling on his phone. He peaked his head up at Jisung’s arrival and a small smile formed.

  
“Hey, sleep well?” Jisung asked as Felix sat up.

  
“Very,” Felix picked his phone back up to check the time. It was already noon. “Do you wanna head to the dining hall and get some food?”

  
Jisung looked down at himself clad in mismatched pajamas and slowly nodded.

  
“Give me a minute to change.” Jisung said before heading to their room.

  
“It’s Sunday!” Felix yelled from the living room. “Everyone is in pajamas!”

  
Despite his protests, Jisung hated looking like a slob in public, no matter how tired he felt. He pulled a pair of dark jeans and a flannel on, settling on a beanie instead of dealing with his messy bedhead. He grabbed his key and the two boys headed out, Felix in his cute fuzzy sweater and Jisung in socially acceptable wear. They swiped in and immediately went to the waffle maker, that being their tradition after one of the two was upset. Jisung drizzled loads of maple syrup onto his waffle, grabbing some berries to throw on top, and grabbed a seat for the two of them. As he was waiting for Felix to sit down, he tuned into other people’s conversations around him. It happened often, Felix both loading up on food and running into friends, which somehow were endless on this huge campus. Listening to conversations became a habit and satisfied both the introvert and the linguist in Jisung, both eager to hear different dialects, languages, speech patterns… or hear gossip. Today happened to be the latter.

  
“How does that even happen in this day and age?”

  
“She was a really good fuck, you know.” Ew, the straights were at it again.

  
“Wait, it was the Lee Minho? The one who’s in the top of his class?” This, Jisung decided to listen intently to. It seemed like a conversation between two girls, both trying to whisper but not doing a very great job at it.

  
“Yeah, can you believe it? He’s always turning people down, how did this even happen?”

  
“Must’ve been a good fuck, I guess. Why else?” Jisung gulped down a bite of waffle painfully, almost knowing where this conversation was headed.  
Luckily for him, Felix decided now was the perfect time to make his reappearance.

  
“Hey, they had those strawberry cheesecakes you love at the sweets station, you should grab some before they run out,” Felix said through a mouthful of waffle. Sitting down, he noticed the flush on Jisung’s face.

  
“Is something wrong, Sungie…?” The boy cautiously asked, gulping down his food and looking at him worriedly. Jisung snapped out of the headspace he was in, shaking his thoughts away. They didn’t know the whole story, and it’s not like his face was well known. He was ok.

  
“Yeah, no worries,” Jisung said, shoveling a spoonful of strawberries into his mouth. The last thing he wanted to do was worry Felix even more than he had.  
They ate in relative silence, scrolling through social media and, for Jisung, playing Animal Crossing to help relieve some stress. After completing all his tasks, he noticed Hyunjin pass by the dining hall, hoodie up and hands in his pockets. He still, somehow, managed to look good. Jisung made a mental note to ask Felix about their relationship when they got back to their dorm.

  
Eventually the two finished their waffles and dumped their trays in the return bin, making their way back to the comfort of “home”.

  
“Hey Lixie, I didn’t know you and Hyunjin were like, a thing,” Jisung noted nonchalantly, trying not to seem accusatory. If there was anything he learned from living with Felix, it’s that he took being confronted and accused as personal attacks, treating Jisung with the silent treatment until they both caved in and ate ice cream together.

  
“Ahh well, I guess you could call it that,” Felix said, plopping onto the couch across from Jisung. He could tell that Felix needed to spill, so he gave him a look that encouraged him to keep talking.

  
“You already know that Chan and I hook up occasionally, but we aren’t dating. Just friends with benefits,” he began. “So we aren’t exclusive and still see other people. Although he is… hm…” Felix looked almost wistful. “I think… that I could fall in love with him if given the chance.”

  
Now that, to Jisung, was a huge confession. Felix told Jisung on their first meeting that he just wanted to hook up and have fun, with no strings attached in college. It was the opposite of what Jisung longed for, but he never judged the other boy for what makes him happy.

  
“Well how’d you meet Chan?” Jisung asked, genuinely curious about this relationship.

  
“Ah! We met through Minho actually, he came with us to get dinner after practice one night and we just hit it off really well,” Felix said, letting the sentence die off as Jisung knew what came next. “But neither of us are ready for commitment, so it’s no big deal.”

  
Sounded like a load of bullshit to Jisung, but he kept his mouth quiet.

  
“What about Hyunjin then? And Seung… min?” He asked tentatively, unsure if that was the boy’s name.

  
“Do you want the short version or the long version?” Felix asked with a smirk on his face. “Basically, Hyunjin is in my dance class, and him and Changbin are boyfriends but since Hyunjin has the libido of a rabbit and Changbin can’t keep up, we fuck around a lot too. And Seungmin…” Felix trailed off, regaining his thoughts. “Seungmin is childhood friends with Hyunjin, and from what I knew had a huge crush on him. I guess he’s getting over it though, since I saw him with his tongue down Channie’s throat.”

  
Jisung just let out a little giggle, a little confused on the dynamic but supportive nonetheless.

  
“I guess Hyunjin didn’t know you’re fucking multiple people, then?” Jisung asked.

  
“Hmmm, I’m pretty sure I told him about Chan, but he probably forgot that night. Or was just too drunk to recall.” Felix noted. It seemed like he was happy with the situation though, so Jisung wouldn’t pry into his relationships- specifically his and Chan’s.

  
“Speaking of- do you wanna come to the studio with me? I’m gonna try learning ITZY’s Wannabe!” Felix said excitedly. Him and Jisung found that they both enjoyed learning kpop dances in their freetime, letting loose and being themselves.

  
“I finished my homework so yes,” Jisung said, getting up and stretching. “Let me pack my bag.”

  
After packing a snack bar, water bottle with ice, and his baseball cap, he was ready to join Felix on the walk to the studio.

  
Dance alone was a pretty large department on campus, as the arts seemed to prevail. It made the environment something that Jisung enjoyed, a place to let his emotions flow freely. Despite being a linguistics major, it felt like he fit right in. The two went up to the third floor where the dance majors always met, according to Felix. He input a code into the door and it suddenly opened, the room clearly dark, but mirrors shone with light from the open windows. It was a great place to release some stress before his upcoming finals.

  
Jisung grabbed his hat and slicked his hair back before setting his bag off to the side. He started to stretch while Felix plugged his phone into the sound system. His bones cracked, after being cramped up from sleeping on a couch last night, but before he knew it he was copying Felix’s fierce moves, sweat pouring everywhere. Nearly an hour had passed before he realized, and the two took a quick water break before continuing.

  
Not long after the break, a sound came from behind them, scaring the two boys. They quickly turned around only to see Minho, quietly trying to sneak away.

  
“Ah, Minho!” Felix called with a smile, waving him down. “What’re you doing here?” The older looked apologetic as he came in, clearly wearing clothes that were intended for dance.

  
“I was going to dance our new routine, but I see you’re busy, I can go,” he said before going to close the door.

  
“No it’s fine!” Felix yelled. “Are none of the other studios open?”

  
“I checked and it seems like they’re all being used by the cheerleaders for the upcoming game.” Minho said matter-of-factly. “I don’t want to interrupt.”

  
“We were only learning the dance to Wannabe,” Felix said. “You can join if you’d like. We’ll be done soon.”

  
‘Speak for yourself,’ Jisung thought, slightly uncomfortable at the idea of Minho watching him dance. From what Felix has said, it seems like the man is a dance legend among the school. Minho decided to come in, though, and gave Jisung a small smile before settling against the back wall. ‘How awkward’ Jisung thought, getting back into position. ‘If this is how he’s gonna act around me, nothing’s gonna get done’.

  
Although he felt a bit more stiff at first, Jisung eventually forgot that the boy was there for the next few run throughs, until he spoke out between breaks.

  
“That one part where you shift your weight,” Minho said, getting up to demonstrate. “Try to make your leg movements more exaggerated, like this.”

  
As he was performing, Jisung couldn’t help but stare. As his brain helpfully supplied before, this man was undeniably handsome, but now he got to see some of his passion at work. The smooth movements of his body contrasted from Felix’s sharp poses, which made Jisung stare even harder.

  
“Ah- okay,” he said, catching his breath. They ran through the part again, Minho’s sharp eyes on his body. It was nerve-wracking, but Jisung managed to make it through with few mistakes. They ended and Jisung leaned over himself, hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

  
“I didn’t know you could dance,” Minho noted, looking impressed at the other.

  
“Not nearly as good as you, I’m sure,” Jisung muttered, taking the time to sit down and drink some more water. After taking a large gulp, he found his voice again.

“I mean, I only copy choreo. You two can create it.” Minho merely shrugged, seeming to be passing off Jisung’s praise.

  
“You can have the floor for a bit Minho, I just want to catch my breath for a bit before recording for Tik Tok.” Felix wiped some sweat from his forehead and took a seat next to Jisung, reaching for his own water.

  
Minho plugged his phone into the speaker and before long, Jisung was speechless. The way he made it sound was that this choreography was something he just learned, but the boy could just feel the emotions and raw talent exuding from his aura. It was captivating, and no wonder as to why Lee Minho was the talk of the school. He somehow managed to look even more seductive, hips slowly rolling and body following along. Jisung couldn’t take his eyes away until Felix elbowed him when the song finished, Minho turned around to hear their feedback.

  
“I think that part in the hook is still kind of funky,” Minho said with a frown. “I just can’t seem to get the balancing right.”

  
It was obvious that he was talking to Felix rather than Jisung, but the latter didn’t mind. He was still too in shock to speak.

  
“Yeah, I think that your left leg is planted too close to your right. If you land on the spin before it differently-” Felix said, leaving Jisung to demonstrate for Minho. A million thoughts rushed around his head, none of them good for his own heart. It would be a lot easier to deal with divorcing the man if his heart didn’t pound sporadically around him.

  
It was just fascination though, Jisung told himself. He was always intrigued by dance, willing to watch Felix practice and help him learn dances. It was only a fascination with the boy’s dancing, and that’s exactly what he chalked it up to before standing up next to Felix to record themselves.

  
It took a few tries to get placement down, but they finally had a finished video that would be uploaded later that day. Felix was excited to be feeding the thousands of followers he has, and Jisung felt satisfied to have danced all of his stress away. It was a win for both of them.

  
“Alright, me and Jisung are gonna head out. Do you need any snacks or water before we leave?” Felix asked while packing his own bag. Jisung’s was already packed, so he awkwardly stood there as the two had their conversation.

  
“Actually, would you mind getting me that new strawberry energy drink from the vending machine on the first floor?” Minho asked, running his hand through his hair.

  
“Yeah, no problem!” Felix grabbed his bag and the two left, on the search to find a strawberry drink. As they walked down the stairs, Jisung spoke up.

  
“Is he gonna pay you back or something? He could’ve just gotten it himself.”

  
“Nah, but he always makes it up to us in some way,” Felix said, clearly still in a good mood from their dancing. “I gave him my extra water bottle once and he took me to this really good barbeque place off campus. It’s like, if you give him something small, he’ll give you something greater.” Felix spoke of the older highly, not one to really listen to “respect your elders” or things of that line. Clearly, Minho had won the younger over.

  
As they reached said vending machine (which, Jisung had to admit, was much nicer than the one in the linguistics department), Felix pulled his card out and swiped it, tapping the touch screen to select his order.

  
“Do you want anything? My treat.” Jisung thought, considered the fact that he’d been seriously spoiled this weekend, and declined the offer.

  
“I’ve been treating myself a lot this weekend, I’ll pass this time,” Jisung said before he could regret it. That strawberry drink did look awfully appealing.

  
“Well you deserved it Sung, not everyone wakes up married to someone they don’t know.” Felix laughed and picked up the drink, leading the two back to the practice room. It sat uncomfortably in Jisung’s stomach, like everything else in his life was normal except for this /very/ large inconvenience. When they arrived, Jisung decided to wait outside for the other, deeming it too dangerous to see Minho’s dancing again. Felix was quick though, and they were on their way back to the dorms.

  
“That was fun today! I’m glad Minho showed up,” Felix said, momentarily forgetting the issue between him and Jisung. “He’s really great at what he does and cares about his juniors a lot. I want to be more like him when I’m an upperclassman.”

  
“Well, you sure wouldn’t like him as much if he was the one you accidentally married,” Jisung hummed, sticking his hands into his pockets.

  
“He’s actually the closest friend I have in the department, Sung, please don’t hate him too much,” Felix dramatically called out, latching onto Jisung’s arm. “Plus, I don’t know why you hate him so much. You married him because you were all over him at the party.”

  
“Yah! I never said that!” Jisung yelled, pushing Felix’s arms off his own. Felix just laughed playfully.

  
“You didn’t but it was obvious, even to me.”

  
That made Jisung slow down slightly, not enough to alert Felix. It was… weird. He felt like, obviously, Minho was someone he should dislike for letting them get in this predicament. It was both their faults though, and they really did click at the party...

  
“You’re thinking too much,” Felix noted. Oops. “It’s ok if you guys become friends, you know. I think you two would be pretty close if this whole situation didn’t occur.”

  
Now, that was a novel idea. Jisung wouldn’t tell that to Felix though, since it’d inflate his ego too much, so he settled for a “I didn’t know you actually started using those brain cells of yours, Felix.”

  
Maybe, just maybe, Jisung would allow himself to be friends with one Lee Minho.

  
“Hey! I’ll have you know I use all my brain cells at all times, thank you very much!” Felix pulled the other along, leading them to the dining hall to grab an early dinner before returning to the safety of their dorm, where he didn’t have to think any more about the topic.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “ But you’d have to find an apartment or get summer housing…” Hyunjin muses, placing his head in his hand. “Ah, it’d be so much easier if you just became a camboy or something.”

‘Mondays become a lot nicer when you don’t have to get up at 9am’ Jisung thinks as he packs his bag full of his supplies for the day. Since it was finals week, he decided to start his studying in the Asian center on campus, which had beautiful architecture and fountains to drown out any other distracting sounds. As he walked to the building, he made a mental note of all the things he had to do today.

  
‘Start the essay for English, study the formulas for calculus…’ Jisung’s eyes widen and his heart rate picks up. ‘Check my credit card balance to see if I can pay it off this month…’.

  
Fortunately the boy was able to focus enough to finish the essay, study some math, and even grabbed some milk tea boba before heading back to the dorm. He hadn’t seen Felix all morning- probably practicing his dance from sunrise to sunset. Jisung decided to call him to see how he was doing, making sure that he wasn’t overworking himself. Unsurprisingly, he let the phone ring quite a few times before a cheery voice picked up.

  
“Jisung! What’s up?” Felix asked, taking a deep breath, clearly tired from dancing.

  
“Hey Lixie, just wanted to check on you. Make sure you weren’t dancing yourself to death,” Jisung jokes.

  
“No, no, not yet! I should be leaving um…” There's some shuffling, Felix trying to find what time it is. “An hour! I think I’m gonna get dinner with Hyunjin and Minho, do you wanna come along?”

  
“Hmm sure, I just finished studying for calc and finished that essay I had to do. I’ll meet you at the dining hall in an hour then?” Jisung said, finally arriving back to the dorm.

  
“Yup, see you! Love you!” Felix exclaimed before hanging up.

  
Jisung took this time to freshen up quickly, taking a shower and dressing simply in jeans and a light blue sweater. He decided to head over to the dining hall early, saving all of them a seat at a large round table. Of course, before sitting down, Jisung also made a pit stop by the dessert table, noting that there were only plain cheesecakes sitting out. He sighed and grabbed one, and then stopped to grab some strawberries to throw on top. Jisung also grabbed a salad with chicken to balance out his diet, and sent a picture of his location to Felix before playing on his phone for a bit.

  
Before long he heard loud voices entering the seating area, the three seeming to be joking around and having a good time. Jisung almost felt bad to be intruding, but Felix did invite him after all.

  
“Sungie!” Felix yelled out, the three coming to place their workout bags on the chairs. Felix, obviously, placed his right next to Jisung. Hyunjin insisted on being next to Felix as well, so that left Minho and Jisung next to each other. They quickly left to grab food, and Hyunjin was the first one back.

  
“How was practice today?” Jisung asked, trying to be friendly enough.

  
“Tiring as all hell,” Hyunjin said, stuffing his face with the cheesy pasta on his plate. “Minho keeps having to teach us all this one move we keep messing up on before Friday and I can tell he’s sick of us.”

  
“You guys seemed pretty close walking in, though,” Jisung mused, poking at his now overly-healthy salad. By then, both Felix and Minho returned, excitedly exclaiming to the other two about the make-your-own taco station that both Hyunjin and Jisung seemed to miss.

  
“They had mountains of shredded cheese, and they just absolutely loaded it on-” Felix broke his own ramble with a bite of said taco, Hyunjin laughing at the salsa left all over the boy’s face. They all seemed so close, joking around and comfortable with one another. Jisung almost longs for something like that, friends outside of Felix and his friends. His thoughts are interrupted by Felix not soon after, though.

  
“How’d your studying go today, Sung?” Felix asked, gulping down some fries. “I wanna say bad because of the salad sitting in front of you.” Jisung just laughed because, it was true, he hardly ever ate salads unless he was really stressed or felt self-conscious.

  
“Just a lot on my plate. Didn’t wanna add overweight to that list,” Jisung sighed, pushing his chicken around the plate. Despite his statement, he pulled his slice of cheesecake closer to eat instead.

  
“But strawberry cheesecake seems to be okay,” Hyunjin snorted, making Jisung laugh a little.

  
“It’s my biggest stress relief.” Jisung dug right in with a smile.

  
The three then began talking about another student in their dance group, apparently some rumors had gone around about her and one of the TAs, drama that Jisung wasn’t interested in. He pulled his phone out to quickly check his account balance, making sure he has enough to cover the bill coming up in two weeks.  
Every month, without fail, his parents would send a $50 allowance, to allow Jisung to go out and get nice dinners every once in a while. It certainly wasn’t supposed to be used for accidental marriage costs, but…

  
“Shit,” Jisung said as he opened his account, wide eyes rereading the numbers to make sure he read that right.

  
His bill, now $250, was going to be way out of Jisung’s price range. He currently only had $125, saved up from the last time his parents sent him money. Even if he managed to weasel next month's money from them, it would only cover part of the bill… and Jisung didn’t have any other source of income.  
The three dancers stopped their conversation to turn towards the worried Jisung, concern washing over Felix’s face.

  
“Everything ok?” He asked quietly. The entire table was quiet, tense, as if waiting for Jisung to snap or cry, or both. Jisung wasn’t sure even what to do, or what to say for that matter.

  
“I’m- I’m short $75 for my credit card bill in two weeks,” Jisung choked out, still trying to untangle the mess in his head. “Well, a little more, but I might be able to convince my parents to send my allowance early. Where am I going to get seventy-five dollars in two weeks?”

  
All four boys are broke college students and obviously didn’t know of any miracles that would put money in their pockets, besides occasionally writing someone’s essay or grabbing food for the floor of his dorm.

  
Jisung, amongst his panic, could feel Minho’s stare into his side. This predicament was partially his fault, and even though he thinks the other should pay him back for the marriage they both are a part of, Jisung would never outright tell Minho to pay him back.

  
“I only have twenty dollars, I’m sorry Sung,” Felix said sadly. Jisung could tell that he didn’t really understand the scope of the panic he was currently facing.

  
“You know what,” Hyunjin says, directing his statement at Felix. “Seungmin works at the Starbucks on campus, maybe he could squeeze you in.”

  
“It’s finals week though, do you think they’ll still be open?” Minho asked skeptically.

  
“I mean, obviously. They always have tours happening on campus and Starbucks is one of the few places that stays open. But you’d have to find an apartment or get summer housing…” Hyunjin muses, placing his head in his hand. “Ah, it’d be so much easier if you just became a camboy or something.”

  
Felix swatted at Hyunjin, saying something like “Sungie is too precious to be corrupted like that!”. Jisung wasn’t too sure when Felix became an expert on his sex life, but he wasn’t far off.

  
“Yeah I’d um, rather not do that.” Jisung looked down sadly at his unfinished cheesecake, his nerves too strong to finish eating.

  
“Let me call Seungmin right now and ask him then. I’m sure they’ll need people for the summer,” Felix said. Jisung’s mind was racing, would his parents even let him live by his college for the summer? He was a couple hours drive from home, and they probably would berate him for wasting more money.

  
“I don’t think my parents would help me with housing though, and I live two hours away,” Jisung said, tears welling up in his eyes. It’s like he had so many great opportunities but he’s just one step behind them. He blinked them away, not wanting to cry in front of Hyunjin or Minho. “This seriously sucks. Wow.”

  
“I’m going to rent an apartment off campus this summer,” Minho starts to say tentatively, as if afraid he would scare Jisung away. “If you want to work at Starbucks I wouldn’t mind you staying with me.”

  
Jisung’s eyes widened and his head immediately snapped to meet Minho’s eyes. He could tell the older was serious. It was crazy how his personality could change from apathetic and emotionally unavailable to empathetic and kind.

  
All eyes were now on Jisung, which made him incredibly uncomfortable. “I’ll have to call my parents tonight and see what they say, but thank you,” Jisung said, eyes locking with Minho.

  
The rest of dinner was significantly quieter, but Felix being Felix kept the mood up. Eventually the other two dancers left together, Hyunjin following Minho to his dorm to annoy Changbin. As Felix and Jisung were walking back, he nudged Jisung in the side.

  
“You know, sharing an apartment together with Minho might not be too bad. It’s like his way of repaying you,” Felix said, hands going to his pockets. Jisung supposes he’s right, maybe Minho wouldn’t mind paying him back if he had the money to do so. “I know he said he’s starting a job at a nearby dance studio, so maybe he’ll even be able to pitch in.”

  
When they returned to their room Jisung sat in the living room, wanting to be alone when he made this phone call. He’s sure it isn’t going to end well, and is anxious to even press the word “mom” on his phone.

  
Jisung, however, isn’t a coward, and presses call.

  
“Hello?” His mother asks after two rings.

  
“Hey mom,” Jisung says softly. He hardly ever calls his parents, so he’s sure they’re pretty surprised.

  
“Jisung!” His mom exclaims, almost joyful. It would almost sound convincing if he didn’t know exactly what lies underneath. “What’s going on? How’s school going?”

  
“School is going well, my finals are this week,” he says, shifting around. “I actually wanted to call and ask for a favor.”

  
There’s silence on the other end, and Jisung starts to panic. He can’t back out now though, so he may as well get it over with.

  
“Felix and some of his friends are going to celebrate the end of the year together at one of the amusement parks around here, so I didn’t know if it’d be possible to get my allowance sent to me early,” Jisung starts, the lie slipping out from years of experience.

  
There’s more silence on his mother’s end before she breathes out a sigh. “Is this after your finals? I don’t need you getting distracted,” she says.

  
“It’s this weekend, after all my finals are finished.”

  
“Alright then,” she says a lot easier than expected. “I’ll send the extra money tomorrow. Anything else?”

  
“I also, um, decided to get a job over the summer,” Jisung starts, taking a big gulp.

  
“Oh that’s great, Jisung! Did you decide to finally help out at that summer camp? I’ve been telling you for years that it’d be good for you-”

  
“No, mom,” he says. “I’m going to be working at a Starbucks on campus. I’ll be moving in with a friend.”

  
More deafening silence rings out from the phone, and it lasts so long that he’s starting to think that she might’ve hung up on him. He pulls the phone away to check and, nope, she’s still on the line.

  
“Why? Is your home not good enough? Do you really hate your parents that much?” Jisung definitely struck a chord, and he was far too tired to be dealing with his mother’s childish antics.

  
“No, mom, I just took a job opportunity that I thought would be beneficial. You and dad are always welcome to visit, you know that.”

  
“And how are you even gonna pay your friend for the rent? Your job isn’t gonna cover that. You may as well just move in with us and work somewhere here.”

  
“Mom, I’ve already taken the job,” that was a straight lie, but his mom didn’t need to know that. “I’ve already made my mind up, I was just telling you what I decided. I didn’t call to be criticized. If I end up hating it I’ll move back, but don’t you think it’s about time for me to be responsible?”

  
“Being responsible would mean moving back with us and not paying rent,” his mother snapped at him. “But do whatever you want, because I guess you’re the responsible one here.”

  
There was tense silence between the two before his mother sighed and told Jisung that she had to go cook dinner now. That was a lie as well, knowing that his family always ate before 6pm.

  
“Ok, goodnight mom. Love you and dad,” he says monotonically, frustrated at the situation.

  
“Love you, Jisung.”

  
Jisung hung the phone up and got up to go to his and Felix’s room. Felix looked up at him and opened his arms, inviting Jisung in for a hug. He didn’t cry, didn’t complain, just stayed there in his friend’s arms.

  
“Can you call Seungmin for me when you get the chance?” Jisung asks, head still nuzzled into Felix’s neck. “I can stay here for summer break.”

  
“That’s great! Is your mom gonna send the money?” Felix asks, arms rubbing up and down Jisung’s back.

  
“Yeah I think so, but she did get upset with me so who knows. She’s unpredictable like that.”

  
The two separated as Felix reached for his phone, reaching to dial Seungmin’s number. He sets the phone on speaker and sets it down, sitting down on his bed.  
“Seungminnie!” Felix exclaims as the phone connects. “How’s my bestest boy?”

  
“Hey Lix,” Seungmin says, sounding a bit tired. “What’d you call for?”

  
Felix scoffs and rolls his eyes, as if Seungmin could see that through the call. “Can’t I just call to see how you’re doing?”

  
All of a sudden, Jisung realizes how Felix has so many boys wrapped around his finger. The boy is so caring to everyone and affectionate as hell, it’s no wonder that so many people fall for his charms.

  
“I know you don’t call people for fun, so spit it out,” Seungmin jokes, letting out a small chuckle.

  
“Alright alright, do you know if your job is still hiring?” Felix asks.

  
“Hmm I’m pretty sure we are, since summer break is coming soon and a lot of student workers are leaving. Why? I can’t see you as a barista, no offense Felix.”

  
Felix being Felix gasps dramatically, but then gets back on track. “Well, you know Jisung?” He hears Seungmin hum, replying with “yeah, the shy one at the party that married Minho, right?”

  
Jisung is never gonna live that reputation down.

  
“Yeah, that one. Do you think he’d be able to work there? He needs some money quick.”

  
“Sure, as long as he can work over the summer. I’ll ask my boss and see if she’ll interview him tomorrow if that works.”

  
Jisung picks up at that, shocked at how quickly the opportunity presented itself.

  
“That should work, here, I’ll text you his number. Thank you Seungminnie!” Felix says lovingly, and Jisung can tell that even Seungmin is affected by it.

  
“Sure, Lixie. I’ll talk to you later, then.”

  
“Yup, I’ll see you soon! Bye~!” Felix hangs the phone up and looks over at Jisung excitedly.

  
“You’ve got a job, Sung!” He exclaims, his body buzzing with excitement. Jisung has to calm him down, telling him that he doesn’t really have a job yet, just an interview, but Felix refuses to listen.

  
Felix has to quickly change his demeanor, though, because he has an early practice tomorrow and needs to get as much sleep as possible. They turn the lights out and Jisung lays in bed, scrolling on his phone. He lights up at a text from an unknown number, something he seems to be getting a lot more of lately.

Unknown:  
Hey Jisung! This is Seungmin, Felix told me you wanted to work at Starbucks?

A warmth spread over his chest, consisting of both happiness and anxiety. He quickly saved Seungmin’s contact info and responded.

Jisung:  
Hi Seungmin! I really need a job for the summer, so I’d really appreciate it if you could help me out

Seungmin:  
Yeah no problem! I texted my boss earlier, would an interview tomorrow at noon work for you?

Jisung:  
That would work! Thank you so much!

Seungmin:  
It’s no problem, I’ll see you then!

Jisung:  
See you then :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hi! Jisung, right?” A female voice spoke out from the doors. Jisung turned to see a beautiful lady with short hair, a smile on her face. Her name tag read “Jeongyeon” and her soft demeanor immediately calmed Jisung down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I debated posting a chapter this week, but I thought that I could take this time to speak out about the issue of race in America. In order to better understand the issue and to petition against this inhumane behavior, please click the link below. I hope that I can use this platform to bring attention to this issue. And, as always, please enjoy the chapter.
> 
> #BlackLivesMatter  
> https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd

The anxiety of a job interview didn’t hit Jisung as hard until the next morning when he woke up. He heard Felix leaving for the morning, around 7am, which Jisung thought he was crazy for. But because of that, he’s been awake and overthinking ever since. Things like ‘what if I don’t make this job’ or ‘what if the boss is terribly harsh and not willing to work with me’. Tons of self conscious ideas floated around his head, and Jisung knew that he wouldn’t be able to study for his calculus or linguistics exam. He decided to grab his phone and play Animal Crossing, something that normally calmed him down. It worked for a good 15 minutes, but his worries came back soon after playing. He then took a shower and got dressed in a nice striped blue button up and black jeans, styling his hair just a little bit nicer than normal.

  
That only took him to 9am though, and he still had 3 hours to waste. Sitting on his bed, Jisung sorted a plan out for himself. He was going to pack his bag up, go early to Starbucks and study for his linguistics final, and then be right on time for his interview. It was a flawless plan in his mind, and so he packed up and left his dorm quietly. Soft music played from his earbuds as he walked, his lofi playlist for studying on repeat.

  
He finally arrived and noticed that Seungmin was already working, clearly busy because of the long line of tired college students waiting to get their espresso shots for the day. Jisung was lucky enough to spot an empty table in the dimly lit corner, so he headed over there and set his stuff down. With his computer booted up, his notes on display, Jisung got right to studying. The smell of coffee helped ease the tension he felt in his muscles, allowing him to actually focus enough to study the sounds and symbols he needed to. Before he knew it, it was already 11:30, and time for Jisung to get in line to inform Seungmin that he was here. He packed his studying supplies into his bag and got into line.

  
“Ah, Jisung!” Seungmin exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

  
“Hi Seungmin,” Jisung said, smiling at the other boy. He seemed pretty nice, and Jisung hopes that if he scored this job, that they would become close friends. “Is it too early for me to be here?”

  
“No no, I’ll let the manager know you’re here. Just wait over by those doors there.” Seungmin called another coworker over to take over the register as he went to the back room to get his boss. Jisung closed his eyes tight and breathed in deeply, ridding himself of the last of his anxiety.

  
“Hi! Jisung, right?” A female voice spoke out from the doors. Jisung turned to see a beautiful lady with short hair, a smile on her face. Her name tag read “Jeongyeon” and her soft demeanor immediately calmed Jisung down.

  
“Yes, that’s me,” Jisung responded with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Jeongyeon.”

  
“Ahh aren’t you the most polite boy ever? Come on, let’s head to the back room. Seungmin, take over for Jeongin please.” Seungmin hurried back over to the register and Jisung followed Jeongyeon to the back room, noting how large it was despite it being a campus Starbucks. They sat down at a table with a couple of chairs as Jisung took out his resume, though small, and handed it to Jeongyeon.

  
The interview went off without a hitch, Jisung answering the questions honestly. Jeongyeon seemed to be impressed with every response, and after asking his availability, she told the boy the words that he wanted to hear so badly.

  
“Would you be able to start training this weekend, then?”

  
“Yes!” Jisung exclaimed, his eyes widening and heart rate picking up. “Absolutely!”

  
Jeongyeon gave Jisung the necessary information he needed for his first day, his own account and where to find the online tutorials, and sent him on his way with a smile and a wave. Jisung was so excited, and could feel that he wasn’t going to calm down for a while. In his excited state he speed walked over to the dance building, going up to the third floor and looking in the window to see if Felix was in there. He saw the other turned away from the door, so Jisung waited outside for him to turn around. Before he could, a voice startled him out of his thoughts.

  
“Do you need something?” A girl asked from behind him, dressed in a tank top and spandex. ‘She must be in their group’ he thought.

  
“Ah, I was just waiting to talk to Felix,” Jisung said. The girl’s eyes lit up and she walked into the studio.

  
“Felix! You have a visitor!” All eyes in the studio turned to look at him, but Jisung wasn’t as nervous about it. He was so hyped about his new job that he just shrugged the stares off.

  
Felix looked happy but confused to see Jisung, walking over to the door to greet him.

  
“Hey! What’s up?” Felix asks, panting hard. He must’ve really been pushed hard during practice.

  
“I got the job! I start next week!” Jisung exclaims, gripping the straps on his bag. He sees Felix smile big, his arms reaching for Jisung’s head.

  
“That’s amazing Sung! I knew you could do it!” Felix exclaims, still petting the top of his head. “I would hug you but I’m sweating so bad.” Ah, that explains it.  
Most of the dancers went back to whatever they were doing, whether it was dancing or gossiping, but Minho and Hyunjin decided to join Felix by the door.

  
“Did I hear that you got the job?” Hyunjin asked, using his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Jisung felt his eyes linger a bit too long on Hyunjin’s toned stomach, but could you blame him?

  
“I did! It was all really thanks to Seungmin which- shoot, I forgot to thank him.” Jisung pulls his phone out quickly to text Seungmin, sharing the good news and thanking him as well. He looks back up at the trio, and finally looks at Minho.

  
“I’d really like to take up your offer, if you’re still willing,” Jisung says, rocking back and forth on his feet.

  
“Yeah, I could use some company anyway,” Minho says nonchalantly. It seems like he doesn’t see how much of a favor he’s doing Jisung, allowing him a home to stay in. In all honesty, Jisung didn’t want to stay with his family during summer break anyway, thanks to their short temper and strong opinions. It made Jisung much more anxious than he already is, and he dreaded what would come after finals week. Luckily, he wouldn’t have to deal with that.

  
The boys said their goodbyes as the three dancers had to get back to practice, and Jisung went down to the vending machines to grab himself a drink as a treat for today. He noticed the strawberry drink that Minho got last time, and decided to try one for himself.

  
It was delicious, to say the least. Jisung was a sucker for strawberry flavored things to begin with, so he was probably biased, but it was one of the best tasting drinks he’s ever had. With a new energy in his step, Jisung walked back to his dorm. As he sat down a text came in.

Seungmin:  
I heard, Jeongyeon won’t stop talking about the sweet boy we just hired. You must’ve won her over pretty good ;P

Jisung smiled to himself and responded.

Jisung:  
I’m glad, I can’t wait to work with you!

He left the message at that and went back to studying. He had a hard time concentrating though, and eventually gave up. Jisung opened YouTube and took a break to watch some videos while he had the chance. As he was watching, a new thought popped into his head- that with this job he’d be able to afford to get a divorce, and this would all finally end.

  
Just as he was getting excited at the idea, another text came in, this time from Minho. It was the address of the place they’d be renting, which looked like a pretty nice place from Google maps.

Minho:  
There’s only one bedroom though, so I don’t know if you’d prefer sleeping in the living room or setting up another bed in the bedroom  
Also the bus runs by the apartment every hour to campus, so you should be good on transportation as well

Although sleeping on a couch wasn’t ideal, he agreed to it.

Jisung:  
That’s fine, I can take the couch. Beds are too expensive for me right now anyway  
And that’s great, thank you :)

That settled that, so Jisung began packing some of his books and decorations, knowing that he’d be moving very soon. It was sad to think that he wouldn’t see Felix for a few months, though, as they’d been stuck at the hip ever since August. Even winter break was painful to separate, but they still were able to meet up after. Jisung started feeling sentimental, since this was his first dorm room ever. He pushed those thoughts behind him, though, and packed as much as he could.

Fortunately for Jisung, it was just Felix and him at dinner tonight. He didn’t mind the other boys once in a while, but socializing was not his forte.  
“Jisung~” Felix sang as he sat his food down across from the other boy. It was super unhealthy, pizza and wings, and Jisung wondered how the other managed to stay in shape aside from dance. “Do you know what happened at practice today?”

  
“I wasn’t there so no, I don’t,” Jisung said as he ate his pasta.

  
“Minho asked about you!” Felix exclaimed. “He asked me what type of foods you like so that he could get some groceries for your guys’ apartment!”

  
Jisung, if asked, would deny that his heart skipped an extra beat at the confession. Instead, he tried to play it off as something unimportant.

  
“I think that’s something anyone would do, what are you getting at Lix?” Jisung asked. He knew already, but he didn’t want to hear it.

  
“Well, you know how he is. Cold one moment and soft the next. I just think that maybe you could soften him up a little more,” Felix said with a shrug, going back to eating his pizza.

  
“And for the record, I told him you like anything strawberry flavored.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung could feel his face heating up, but he didn’t dare to take his eyes away from Minho. Even his outfit stood out, a mesh black shirt and baggy neon yellow pants. The audience clapped as the group left the stage, but Jisung was too stunned by Minho’s dancing to react in time. Again.

“Jisung please!” Felix begged. “I need you to come tonight!”

“I told you I start my job tomorrow morning and I have to move later that day. I don’t wanna stay up too late.” Jisung knew that he was going to go to Felix’s performance, but he wanted it to be a surprise for the other. As much as it hurt him to tell the other boy no, he knew that he’d be much happier when Jisung showed up with flowers.

The last few days went by in a blur, a mess of studying and sleeping. It was now Friday afternoon, and Jisung had just finished his last final of freshman year. He felt so much more relieved to have his school work behind him.

Since he was finished with finals, Felix was dying to have Jisung come and see his team’s performance, which he had planned on going to from the start. Felix began to sulk at the idea that his best friend couldn’t make it, but he got over it enough to pack up and head out to the theater. Jisung heated some Pizza Rolls up and ate before heading to the theater as well, buying a bouquet of roses outside the venue.

In the lobby he saw a familiar head of bleached hair and wide shoulders, heading over in that direction. Chan was there, dressed in his usual black attire, and standing next to him was Seungmin. Jisung greeted them politely, both excited to see Jisung there.

“Jisung!” Chan exclaimed, shock on his face. “Felix texted me complaining that you weren't coming!”

“I wanted to surprise him,” Jisung said with a smile. He noticed that Chan and Seungmin both had bouquets of flowers in their hands too. “What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t come out to see at least one performance of his?”

They all began to file into the theater, seats filling up quickly. Jisung remembered to grab a program before sitting down. The three boys got lucky and landed seats just three rows from the front. There were fancy looking men sitting in the front, most likely scouts, which made Jisung anxious for his friend.

The lights dimmed and silence fell over the large crowd of people, lights shining on the stage. A woman took the stage, introducing the many styles of dance and names of the groups performing tonight. Jisung glanced at the program, seeing that Felix, Hyunjin, and Minho’s group would be performing second. First was the ballet group.

Their outfits were the first thing that stood out to Jisung, a black rather than the image of pink he had in his mind. They were good, all in sync and flexible. Before long, the music began to pick up and the ballerinas left the stage. Jisung spotted Felix, and all three of the boys sitting perked up. Jisung forgot that Minho was a part of the team at first, his eyes focused on Felix like the good friend he is. As their positions switched, though, Minho came into view and Jisung couldn’t help but follow him with his eyes. Again, his dancing was mesmerizing. Every movement was precise and the quick body roll simply topped it off. Jisung could feel his face heating up, but he didn’t dare to take his eyes away from Minho. Even his outfit stood out, a mesh black shirt and baggy neon yellow pants. The audience clapped as the group left the stage, but Jisung was too stunned by Minho’s dancing to react in time. Again.

“How are they so good?” Jisung whispered to Chan who was sitting next to him. Chan had a silly little smile on his face, and Jisung already knew that he was watching Felix the whole time.

“Lots of practice, I guess.” Chan sighs. “But they looked so charismatic.”

Jisung watched him out of the corner of his eye and made a mental note about how whipped Chan was for Felix, but tucked it away and watched the rest of the performance carefully. The boys performed five more dances, each one in different outfits with a different vibe. Overall, Jisung could tell that each dancer was talented and deserved to be scouted. The performance finished and each group came out to bow, Felix’s group getting a standing ovation. Jisung teared up, overwhelmed with pride for his best friend. Jisung, Chan, and Seungmin left the auditorium quickly, in search of the dancers. Jisung quickly spotted Hyunjin, being one of the tallest in their group. They made it over in one piece, all three dancers sweaty but elated. The moment Felix saw Jisung he was completely shocked, eyes wide open and a huge smile on his face.

“Jisung!” He yelled, arms wrapping around Jisung’s neck. “You jerk! I really thought you weren’t coming!”

Jisung just smiled and hugged Felix back. “You did amazing Felix, I’m so proud of you.”

After pulling away, Chan shyly gave Felix the bouquet of sunflowers in his hand. Jisung could've sworn there were hearts in his eyes, but he chose to ignore it. Turning away from the two, he spotted Seungmin and Hyunjin talking, the latter now holding the flowers that Seungmin brought. Jisung realized that he forgot to give his flowers to Felix, but before he could go back over, he spotted Minho out of the corner of his eye, no flowers in hand. He was just standing there, and Jisung almost felt bad for him. Looking back down at the flowers in his hand, he figured that Felix would forgive him just this once.

“Minho!” Jisung called out. The boy perked up, his eyes landing on Jisung’s smiling face. “These are for you.”

Jisung held the flowers out for Minho, realizing a little too late that maybe he should’ve bought something other than roses. Minho’s eyes widened, a small smile appearing on his face.

“Why the flowers?” Minho asked in a teasing manner. Jisung had to be careful about this, though, because if he said the wrong thing Minho would instantly shut down.

“Can’t I buy my husband flowers for his amazing performance?” Jisung teased back, a giggle leaving his throat. God, he felt like a schoolgirl.

Minho laughed at this though, and gave him a sincere thank you. It felt nice, freeing almost, to be getting along with the boy in front of him.

“By the way, how come Changbin isn’t here? I thought he would be for Hyunjin,” Jisung noted, watching the way Seungmin and Hyunjin bantered playfully. It hurt his heart to think that Seungmin had an unrequited crush on the other, but he couldn’t think much of it now.

“He had a final at the same time, so he couldn’t go. Hyunjin was devastated, so I’m glad Seungmin is here.” Minho looks at the two boys as well.

It isn’t long before the dancers are ushered to the back, to change into their clothes and talk with their instructors about what worked and what didn’t. Jisung waited behind for Felix, since they’d be walking to the same place anyway. He stood next to Chan and Seungmin, both in good moods from the other boys. In order to avoid any awkward silence, Jisung began scrolling through some social media on his phone.

“Jisung,” Seungmin started, turning towards the boy. Jisung was a little startled, but turned to face Seungmin. “I have so much to teach you at Starbucks. I think Jeongyeon is going to let me train you on bar.”

“On bar?” Jisung asks, confused at the terminology.

“Ah, it’s where I’ll be teaching you how to make all the drinks!” Seungmin explained, apology lacing his smile at the lack of an explanation.

Jisung lit up at that, happy that someone he knew would be training him. “Ohh I can’t wait!”

“We’ll get to work together a lot, since you’re gonna close the store like me. It’ll hardly feel like work, trust me.” Seungmin teasingly elbowed Jisung, making the other smile. He couldn’t wait to start tomorrow.

Soon the other boys came out from the back, flowers in tow. They left the crowded building to step outside, into fresh air.

“Ok, here’s the plan!” Felix exclaimed, draping his arms over Jisung’s and Chan’s shoulders. “We’re gonna go to Minho’s dorm and order some Taco Bell and drink! Who’s in?”

Everyone was on board except for Jisung, who had work in the morning. He apologized and decided to head back to the dorm, waving large towards the three dancers and praising them. He settled into his bed for the last time, knowing that he’d be moving into Minho’s apartment tomorrow. He was a mix of nervousness and excitement, curious about how his day would pan out tomorrow. It took a while to fall asleep, but he eventually did, and didn’t even hear Felix return.

As it turns out, the reason Jisung didn’t hear Felix return last night was because he didn’t. Jisung felt a pang of anxiety, wondering where his best friend was, but logically knowing that he was probably still with Minho. Regardless, Jisung sent him a text to make sure he was okay, and started to get ready for work. He put on a black turtleneck and jeans, knowing that he’d need to buy some more clothes to wear at work. He distantly wonders if Minho would mind taking him out for clothes but then quickly shuts the idea down.

The walk was a quick one from his dorm, only about 15 minutes, and soon he was standing in front of the back doors, waiting for Jeongyeon to come out. She greeted him brightly, showing him where the laptop was to start his online training. The training took him a few hours to start, and he graciously received a drink of his choice (a pink drink, obviously) from his coworker while he took a quick break in between sections.

“How’s training going?” The boy asked, taking a seat next to Jisung. It seemed like he was taking his break now as well, interested in talking to the new hire.

“It’s pretty boring,” Jisung said with a yawn.

“It’ll get a lot more interesting once you’re on bar, trust me,” the boy said, taking a sip from his iced drink. “I’m Jeongin, by the way. I’m a high school senior taking classes here.”

That was impressive for sure, Jisung wouldn’t lie. Here he was, about to be a sophomore, and this high school senior was already beating him to the punch.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jisung says politely, taking another sip of his pink drink. He stretches his arms too, having been stuck in the same position.

“Actually, you know what? Do you wanna learn how to make a couple of drinks quick?” Jeongin asks, a suspicious glint in his eyes. “Jeongyeon doesn’t have to know.”

This definitely feels like something he shouldn’t do, especially if his boss wasn’t supposed to know. Jeongin could see the fear in Jisung’s eyes and quickly laughed.

“It’s nothing bad! You don’t even have to touch anything, I’ll just teach you how to make the fun drinks really fast!” As if she could hear what was going on, Jeongyeon walked into the back room.

“I know you’re on break but can you please help on bar? It’s mobbed out there with high schoolers,” Jeongyeon said, clearly stressed. Jeongin gave her a pout but got up, and before leaving the back, gave Jisung a bright smile. That was reassuring, another coworker that he thinks he could get along well with.

A few other coworkers passed in and out of the back room quickly, flashing him a quick smile before heading back to the floor. After a couple more hours Jisung finally finished his online training, excited to start working. The next time Jeongyeon came to the back he informed her, and she was as excited as he was.

“Great! I have you set up on the schedule in the back room so you can take a look. You should be training for about two weeks, so make sure to check when you’re in. I did give you the aprons, right?”

Jisung gives her a nod and she sighs in relief.

“Alright, good. I’ll see you soon then, Jisung!” Jisung waves goodbye to everyone, especially Jeongin, and heads back to his dorm. When he returned Felix was still nowhere to be found, having forgotten about it while at work. He quickly dials Felix’s number, which leads him to voicemail. Jisung leaves a short but urgent message, asking him to call Jisung back right away.  
Attempting to avoid the lingering feeling of dread, Jisung begins packing up the last of his things, like his pillows and toothbrush. Deeming himself ready to move out, he texts Minho that he’s ready to go. Minho texts back a thumbs up emoji and says that he’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Jisung’s phone dings again, and sees that it’s from Felix, so he quickly taps on the message to see what’s going on.

Felix ♡:  
Hi Jisung, this is Chan. Felix is asleep with me right now, so I thought I’d answer your text. He’s ok, just tired out from the party!

That sends a wave of calm over Jisung, happy to know that Felix was in good hands. He responds with a ‘thank you’ and puts his phone in his back pocket. Minho would be there any minute, so he decided to start bringing things down. He was lucky that his building had an elevator, since the two lived on the fourth floor. Although he didn’t have loads of things, like Felix did, he still had quite a bit to carry down. He started with his luggage of clothes, wheeling it down to the lobby and taking it to the parking lot, where he saw a red subaru parked right in front, Minho in the driver’s seat. He got out, giving Jisung a smile.

“I just moved everything of mine to the apartment this morning so it’s a little tight and nothing is organized,” Minho said, helping Jisung stack the luggage in the back.

“That’s fine, I’m not picky,” Jisung says, brushing his hands off and heading to his building to grab more. Minho tails behind him, grabbing some of his things and helping bring them down. Minho is clearly much stronger than Jisung, picking up a container with ease that Jisung struggled to even push in his dorm. After a couple more trips up and down Minho’s care was packed tight and ready for takeoff.

“It’s a little sad to say goodbye,” Jisung says quietly, not even meaning for Minho to hear.

“Your first year is like that,” Minho says, pulling out of the parking lot. “But then you realize how shitty the dorms are and can’t wait to move out.”

They both laugh, making the air around them lighter. Minho has his phone plugged in, playing music from many artists that Jisung loves. It’s a short ride over though, and the new information he has of Minho is cut short. They pull into a spot at the side of the road and Minho hands Jisung his copy of the key to get in.

The two boys are on the second floor, which is a bit of a hassle, but could be a lot worse. The apartment is, honestly, in great shape, and Jisung wonders briefly where he got the money for this place.

The next hour is spent moving things up stairs, trying not to lose their grip or break things. There’s many bruised knees and laughs shared between them. After getting all of Jisung’s things moved in and a bit unpacked, they both look around at the living room, boxes upon boxes blocking their way to any room.

“I should probably move my stuff to the bedroom. You’re sure you don’t want to move a bed in there? It’ll fit, it’s a large room,” Minho says, picking up one of his boxes and beginning to move them, or well, push them, into his new room. Jisung peeks in to see what Minho is talking about, and it’s certainly big.

“No it’s alright, the couch is comfy enough.” Jisung, in turn, begins to push his items toward the couch, where he’d be residing for a few months.

“You can put some storage in my room at least, there’s two closets in here!” Minho yells from behind the bedroom door.

“Got it!” Jisung yells back with a smile. He guesses that it’ll be pretty nice living with the older.

Once there’s a path clear enough to the kitchen and bathroom, the two take a break from unpacking. Minho comes out from the disaster of a master bedroom and takes a seat on the couch, slumping over.

“Ah,” Minho lifts his head, looking over to Jisung. “The couch is a futon, so you can lay it out as a bed every night.”

Jisung nods, folding up his last box for the day. In their silence Jisung’s stomach begins to rumble very loudly, painting the younger’s cheeks a bright red.

“We can go out to eat tonight if you want, I don’t have any pans unpacked yet.” Minho gets up from his spot on the couch, reaching in his pockets to find his keys.

“No it’s alright, I shouldn’t spend any more money until I pay my bills off,” Jisung says, digging through his box of food that he brought from his dorm. “I’ll just have a granola bar.”

“Suit yourself,” Minho replies, moving to leave. It shocks Jisung how little he put up a fight, but it’s not his responsibility to feed Jisung.

While the older is gone, Jisung begins storing some things in the second closet in Minho’s room. Mainly things like textbooks, letters from friends, and winter clothing that he wouldn’t be wearing gets placed into boxes and shoved into the bottom of the closet. He also begins to hang his clothes up on the hangers already placed there. Jisung doesn’t realize how many clothes he actually wears until he’s hanging them all back up, so immersed that he doesn’t even hear Minho come back.

“There’s ramen on the kitchen table,” Minho announces loudly from the kitchen. Jisung gets startled and lets out a squeak, dropping his hanger on the floor. He quickly picks it up and heads toward the kitchen as well. “The restaurant was having a buy one get one deal so I grabbed you one with chicken.”

“Oh, thank you so much,” Jisung replies with his whole heart. It was really kind of Minho to pick something up for him, even if it was free. There’s a plastic spoon and fork sitting on top of the to-go container, steamed up from being so hot. The ramen is delicious, so Jisung plops onto the couch in exhaustion, now tired and full. He can hear Minho still unpacking in his room even with the door closed, and without even trying, Jisung falls fast asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t be nervous. It’s ok to mess up a lot when you’re training, that’s how you learn,” Seungmin reassures Jisung, leading them to the floor. “When I was training I forgot to put this little plastic piece in the whipped cream topping, and when I shook it the nitrogen caused the thing to explode. There’s still a mark on the ceiling in the break room.”

Monday comes quickly, and Jisung is quickly thrown into a somewhat-normal schedule. Today starts his hands-on training, starting at 3pm, which, luckily, was consistent for the whole week. Jisung didn’t feel as nervous going in, since he already knew two of his coworkers. After folding his blanket up and eating an instant ramen from his food stash for lunch, Jisung checks the bus schedule and pulls out some loose change from his wallet. The bus seemed to be coming at 2, which meant he would arrive at campus at around 2:15. Although he’d be a bit early, he got on the bus and put his earbuds in, letting his head nod along to the songs on his playlist. 

He didn’t have the chance to see Minho at all this morning, the other staying in his room all morning. It wasn’t too unusual, as Jisung would do the same if he didn’t have a job.

After a short bus ride, Jisung arrived at the middle of campus, which meant a 5 minute walk. 

‘The timing worked out perfectly’, Jisung thought, and smiled at Seungmin as he walked in.

“Jisung!” Seungmin exclaimed, smiling. “Do you want us to make you a drink?”

“Hmm… can you make me something fruity?” Jisung asks. He gives Seungmin his numbers and heads to the back room, pulling his apron out. He searches around the computer desk to find a marker for his nametag, and quickly writes his name on it in big, bold letters. Seungmin then enters with Jisung’s drink, a peachy color with strawberries on top.

“It’s one of my favorites,” Seungmin says, setting the drink down in front of Jisung’s stuff. He heads to the large fridges in the back, reaching for some milks and whipped cream containers. “I’m just gonna make these whips quick and then we can get started on bar.”

Jisung nods and takes a sip of the drink, excited at the fruity but not-too-sweet taste. “This is amazing, what is it?”

“It’s an iced guava white tea, sub coconut milk, and a scoop of strawberries,” Seungmin lists off easily, as if Jisung could understand anything the other was saying. Jisung’s knowledge of Starbucks was very limited, always getting a pink drink anytime he would come. Regardless, the drink tasted good, and he kept in mind to ask Seungmin how to make it when they got to the bar.

Seungmin finished making the whips fairly quick, and Jisung’s fingers shook as he punched his numbers in, tying his apron and clipping his nametag on. Seungmin gave him a light punch to the arm, a smile on his face.

“Don’t be nervous. It’s ok to mess up a lot when you’re training, that’s how you learn,” Seungmin reassures Jisung, leading them to the floor. “When I was training I forgot to put this little plastic piece in the whipped cream topping, and when I shook it the nitrogen caused the thing to explode. There’s still a mark on the ceiling in the break room.”

Jisung laughs at that, willing himself to calm down. ‘There’s no reason for you to be so anxious, Jisung’. They pass two of their coworkers on their way to the bar, one on register and Jeongin, on bar.

“Woojin, this is Jisung,” Seungmin introduces him to the boy standing at the register. Woojin gives Jisung a smile and a wave before turning around to help the next customer. “Out of everyone, he’s been here the longest.”

Before Seungmin can introduce him to Jeongin, the other boy sees Jisung and a big smile appears on his face. “Jisung!” Jeongin exclaims, balancing talking and making drinks at such a fast pace that it almost makes Jisung dizzy. “Wait, is he a closer Minnie?” Jeongin asks, innocently, drinks going in blenders and being shaken as fast as he’s talking.

“He’s our new closer,” Seungmin says proudly.

Jeongin is pulled away to talk with Woojin about a special order coming through, so Seungmin takes the time to introduce the bar to Jisung.

“We should probably start on hot bar since cold bar is mobbed,” Seungmin says, pointing at the coffee machine.

Seungmin starts the rundown like a professional, teaching Jisung about every type of drink that’s made on hot bar, and how to make them. The numbers began to get confusing, shots of espresso going from 2, 3, to 4, but he slowly got the hang of it.

“Alright, I want a tall cappuccino, make it for me,” Seungmin says, watching Jisung on his own. He begins steaming the milk, pouring the shots, and makes a perfect cappuccino with the right amount of foam for Seungmin. It makes him feel proud and forget about the reason as to why he’s working.

The customers die down enough for Woojin and Jeongin to watch Jisung make his drinks, each of them asking him to make them drinks. Woojin goes easy on him and asks for a soy latte with hazelnut, but Jeongin decides to make it much more difficult.

“Alright, I want an almond milk flat white with three pumps of honey and two pumps of vanilla, steamed at kids’ temp,” Jeongin finishes, a smirk on his face.

“That’s not even fair!” Jisung complains to the younger, Seungmin laughing.

“You know how to make this, just do it step by step!”

Before he knows it, Jisung is already preparing for closing with the other boys, a system clearly in place. Seungmin seems to be washing the dishes, Woojin counting money, and Jeongin sweeping the lobby. Currently Jisung is just counting the milks in the fridge, but he finishes quickly.

“Jeongin!” Seungmin yells from the back. “Teach Jisung how to clean the counters!”

The two boys run through the process of cleaning counters, making sure to get all the sticky syrup and loose coffee beans.

“Jisung, do you want any of this food?” Seungmin asks from the refrigerated section. “It goes out every few nights, so we either take it or throw it out.”

Jisung figured that either he or Minho would eat the food going out, so he grabs a couple of protein boxes. Before he knows it, the three are locking up and heading their own directions.

“How are you getting home?” Woojin asks Jisung, taking his keys out.

“Ah, I’m just riding the bus,” Jisung says, reaching into his pocket to find the bus fare he stuck there this morning.

“Alright, be safe!” Woojin exclaims, Jeongin following the other like a puppy.

“Jeongin’s the youngest so Woojin always babies him,” Seungmin explains, walking with Jisung to the bus station. “My car is just in the parking lot here, are you sure you don’t need a ride?”

“I’m sure,” Jisung says, “I don’t want to make you go out of your way.”

“Where do you live?” Seungmin asks, waiting next to Jisung under the bus port.

“Just 15 minutes south, just off that main highway,” Jisung responds.

“I pass that highway on my way back, come on,” Seungmin insists, pulling on Jisung’s arm. “It’s no problem at all.”

Jisung grumbles but gives in, letting himself be dragged to Seungmin’s car. They get the GPS pulled up and take off before the bus could even make an appearance.

“I won’t always be able to give you a ride but whenever we have shifts together I will,” Seungmin says, driving off. “And Woojin works nearly every closing shift, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

Jisung gives Seungmin a heartfelt thank you, and they listen to a few songs before arriving at his apartment.

“Woah- these apartments here are expensive as hell!” Seungmin remarks, his mouth hanging open.

“I’m not really, uh, paying for it,” Jisung nervously responds, his head rubbing the back of his head. “Minho is, and he’s letting me stay with him as payment for, well, y’know…” Jisung trails off, still a bit anxious to talk about the whole marriage thing in front of someone he wasn’t all that close with.

“Ahh right, I forgot that happened,” Seungmin states. “Well, anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow. Same time!”

Jisung nods and tells Seungmin thank you again, and heads into the shared apartment. The way Seungmin reacted was pretty wild, so Jisung decided to look into the cost of the apartment when he had time.

When he unlocks the door, all the lights are off and the apartment is completely silent. Jisung figures that Minho is out at the studio, or something of the sort, since they never really discussed schedules. ‘I should probably bring that up when he gets back’, Jisung thinks absentmindedly before dropping his bag at his bed and heading to the kitchen. He brings over the boxes of food from work and goes to open the fridge before noticing a post-it note left on the counter.

I went grocery shopping earlier so there should be enough food if you want to cook dinner  
Minho

Jisung smiles and opens the fridge, noticing how much more filled it looks, He adds the boxes to the top shelf and grabs some cheese, hoping that Minho also grabbed some macaroni on his trip.  
‘Bingo’, Jisung thinks, spotting some elbow macaroni in one of the cupboards. He finds a recipe online and quickly gets to work, mixing up some mac and cheese to cook in the oven quickly. It didn’t take more than a half hour before it was ready to be served, so Jisung took a serving and threw the rest in the fridge for Minho.

Seeing as it was already past 8pm by the time Jisung finished eating, he decided to take a quick shower. It was quick, just to get the smell of coffee off his skin, but as he exited the tub he realized that he forgot to bring his clothes in with him. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, since him and Felix were so close that they would get changed right in front of each other, but Minho was merely an acquaintance, he was hardly able to call the boy a friend. Jisung prayed to god that Minho wasn’t home yet as he exited the bathroom in merely a towel.

As if Jisung had used up all his good luck on nice coworkers and a smooth work day, Minho just walked out of his room, eyes large at the sight of Jisung in a towel. He began to panic, arms self-consciously wrapping around his own waist.

“S-sorry, I’m used to changing in my room, I’ll remember for next time,” Jisung quickly explained, moving to brush past Minho to grab some clothes. He grabbed the first pair of pajamas he saw, running back into the bathroom to get changed before Minho can say anything. Once he’s fully clothed, Jisung exits the bathroom and sees Minho at the fridge, looking around for food.

“I made some mac and cheese if you want some, it’s on the second shelf. I also got some leftover food from Starbucks,” Jisung says, sitting at the kitchen table. He tries to ignore the fact that he was practically just naked in front of the other and focuses on his own cooking abilities. Minho grabs the leftover mac and cheese and dishes some onto a plate and puts it in the microwave.

“It looks pretty good, where did you learn how to cook?” Minho asks, slouching against the kitchen counter. 

“Pinterest,” Jisung laughs, letting the long sleeves cover his hands. “Ah, we should probably talk about our schedules, right?”

“Hm, that’d be pretty smart,” Minho hums, reaching to take his meal out of the microwave. “I’ll be gone 3 to 9 or 10 every weeknight, at the studio.”

“I think I’ll be working 1 to 7 most nights, but the schedule varies,” Jisung says, playing with his sweater paws. “I also usually shower at night.”

“I’m typically a morning showerer so that shouldn’t be an issue,” Minho says between bites. “This is really good, by the way. Can you send me the recipe?”

After trying to send him the recipe multiple times (screw Pinterest), Jisung decided to take their conversation just a bit further.

“Uh, should we also talk about boundaries…?” He asks cautiously. “Or pet peeves or things like that.”

“How about chores? I don’t mind cleaning but I hate doing laundry,” Minho says, scraping the last of his food into his mouth and moving to throw the plate out.

“I can do laundry, no problem.” Jisung nods, thinking about other things to bring up. “I also would prefer if you didn’t go through the things in my closet,” Jisung almost whispers, scared to be making such a big request.

“Well I figured that was a given,” Minho replies. “But I can’t think of anything else.”

A beat of silence passes between the two boys before Minho snaps his fingers and gives a small “aha!”.

“You can’t fall for me, under any circumstances.” The way Minho is smiling after saying such a statement makes Jisung feel something weird in his stomach, but he quickly recovers from his shock.

“Same goes for you, though I wouldn’t blame you after seeing my amazing body,” Jisung smirks back.

“Yeah, no more of that either,” Minho scoffs.

“You’re just mad I have a better body than you do,” Jisung teases even further, giggling at Minho’s offended face.

“Do you really wanna test that?” Minho makes moves to take his shirt off and as a result, they both begin to laugh loudly and Jisung starts to almost feel their relationship blossom… almost.

“But really, don’t fall for me. It would just end badly for you,” Minho states, his eyes glossing over as they normally do when he begins to get defensive. It was insane to Jisung, how he was playful one minute and closed off the next.

‘Maybe I can break that wall down.’

“Well I figured that was a given as well,” Jisung mumbles. Trying to steer the conversation away from the negative atmosphere, Jisung decides to bring up plans for the weekend.

“Do you want to visit the mall this weekend? I don’t have any clothes for work, so I was hoping you could buy them for me and I could pay you back when I have the money.” It was a risky bargain, but Jisung hoped that Minho trusted him enough. They lived together now, after all.

“I never thought I would become a bank before. What do you think my interest rate should be?” Minho asks, totally serious. Jisung playfully punches his arm and walks out of the kitchen, heading for his bed.

“Whatever, don’t help a poor college student out!” Jisung yells from the living room.

“I never said I wouldn’t!” Minho yells back, and that’s enough confirmation for Jisung that they have plans to go to the mall this weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a barista at Starbucks so this has a lot of Starbucks-y terms, if you need anything explained please ask!! I hope I explained things well enough uwu


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wait- how’d you get this?” Jisung exclaims. “I thought you were a freshman too!”
> 
> Seungmin just laughs and buckles up before responding. “Fake ID’s come in handy in college,” he says. “You’ll need it after dealing with customers.”

Working at Starbucks makes the days fly by, and before Jisung knows it, he’s heading home from Friday’s shift. Since Seungmin was still training Jisung, he offered the other a ride home yet again.

“Any plans for tonight?” Seungmin asks, eyes on the road.

“Hmm not really, I’ll probably just watch Netflix or play Animal Crossing,” Jisung replies, slumping in his seat. “This week has been so exhausting, I don’t think I can dream without thinking of iced lattes and frappuccinos.”

Seungmin laughs in response to that, and makes a left turn into a convenience store. Jisung wasn’t gonna put up a fight at that, getting home a few minutes late wasn’t something he worried about with nothing on his schedule.

“I’m just gonna grab a couple things, be right back.” Seungmin grabs his wallet and heads inside while Jisung sits in the passenger seat, scrolling through Twitter and Instagram to pass the time. He likes Felix’s post which appears at the top of his feed, a picture of him and Chan together. They both were smiling and holding glasses of some kind of alcohol, the caption reading “here’s to finals season being over!”. Jisung switched to the messages app, texting the other a quick congratulations.

Jisung:  
Congrats on finishing finals!!!  
When are you going to drop by and visit the apartment?

By the time he sent the last message Seungmin returned with a white plastic bag, settling into his seat.

“Here,” Seungmin says, reaching in to grab a can from the bag. “Enjoy.”

Jisung eyes the can for a bit before realizing that it’s alcohol, and his eyes widen comically.

“Wait- how’d you get this?” Jisung exclaims. “I thought you were a freshman too!”

Seungmin just laughs and buckles up before responding. “Fake ID’s come in handy in college,” he says. “You’ll need it after dealing with customers.”

Jisung wasn’t going to complain at the gift he was given, so he muttered a small ‘thanks’ as they resumed their ride to Jisung’s apartment.

“Do you think I’d be able to come in and see your apartment real quick?” Seungmin asks innocently, turning to Jisung with puppy eyes. Over the past week the two have grown incredibly close, their friendship going from polite gestures to teasing mannerisms.

“Minho should still be at the studio, so I don’t see why not,” Jisung says. He pulls his keys out of his bag and leads them to the front door, going to unlock it when he hears noise coming from inside the apartment. Jisung’s heart rate spikes. ‘Did I forget to lock the door when I left? But Minho leaves after I do, maybe he forgot…’. Not wanting to show Seungmin how scared he is, he opens the door slower than normal and peeks his head in. Sitting on the couch is Minho, a blanket wrapped around him and a laptop in his lap as the AC roars loudly.

Minho also perks up when he hears the door open, eyes wide and pinpointed on Jisung.

“You’re back early,” Jisung nervously laughs. There’s only so much time he can hide Seungmin before-

“Hi Minho,” Seungmin says loudly, moving to stand next to Jisung rather than the shadow of the door. Minho raises his hand to wave, unbothered by the surprise visit. Jisung breathes a sigh of relief, since he wasn’t sure how well the two got along.

“Sungie was gonna show me around the apartment,” Seungmin states, beginning to take his shoes off. “Which, by the way, how much do you pay for this place? I heard they’re a fortune.”

Minho, like normal, just shrugs and replies “it costs enough” before Jisung is ushering Seungmin to hurry his apartment tour. There isn’t much to view anyway, aside from the makeshift bed in the living room or the crooked hanging microwave.

As they pass the kitchen, Jisung remembers something he forgot.

“Oh shoot,” he says. “I left that Twisted Tea in your car.”

Seungmin’s eyes light up as if Jisung just offered him a hundred bucks, and he quickly offers to grab it for him. In the meantime, Jisung walks over to the side of the couch, craning his neck to see what Minho was doing.

“What’re you watching?” Jisung asks, trying to make some kind of small talk.

“It’s this new drama about a girl who lands in North Korea,” Minho brushes the question off.

“Ah, I think I heard of it.” Jisung, fiddles with his phone before he receives a notification from Felix.

Felix ♡:  
I can come over tomorrow! My parents are coming to help me pack and on my way home I’ll stop by quick!  
I have a lot of tea to spill…

“Is it ok if Felix stops by tomorrow?” Jisung asks Minho. He figures it shouldn’t be an issue, since Felix was close with both of them.

“Sure, make sure to tell him that I have his dance shoes still,” Minho replies.

Jisung:  
Minho’s cool with it! He says he still has your dance shoes  
Also, would this tea have to deal with Chan…

Before he receives a response, Seungmin returns with the entire bag from the convenience store.

“Here, you guys can drink tonight!” Seungmin says, quickly placing the bag on the floor and waving. “I’ll see you on Monday, Sung!”

Before Jisung even has the chance to protest or even ask ‘why’, Seungmin is out the door. Jisung huffs and walks over to the door, where four cans of alcohol sit.

“I guess it’s a party with the two of us tonight,” Jisung mutters, turning to show Minho. The latter is already watching him, eyes curious. “Do you want one?”

“Why not,” Minho groans, moving to get off the couch. He grabs a can from the bag and cracks the tab opening, taking a long gulp and letting out a sigh. Jisung follows Minho by opening one of his own, but taking a much smaller sip. Work was hard but fun, so Jisung didn’t feel the need to get drunk tonight, just tipsy.

After downing a few more sips, Minho finally spoke.

“We should watch a movie together tonight.” Minho moved back to the couch and grabbed his laptop, typing something into the search bar. Jisung just followed and sat next to the other, leaving enough space between them. “In fact, let's do this every week. To keep the peace and not be strangers.”

Jisung hums in agreement and pulls the blanket over himself and Minho to get comfy. They settled on some new comedy that had good ratings, but neither of them really paid attention after 30 minutes.

“Did you make enough to cover your bill?” Minho asks out of the blue, taking another sip from his drink.

“Yeah, my parents even put the allowance in my account, I was shocked,” Jisung chuckles. “My bill is due next Saturday and I get paid on Fridays, so I’ll make it by a day.”

“Good, I’m glad.” The two watched the movie in silence for a moment, before Minho spoke up again.

“You know, you’re really a great person Jisung,” he says, turning his head to meet the other’s eyes. “I’m glad I got married to you, of all people.”

The breath was knocked out of Jisung’s chest, his eyes wide and hand stilled from bringing his drink up to sip. It was as if time stopped between them, eyes locked and breaths shaky.

“You must be pretty drunk right now,” Jisung replied quietly, tearing his eyes away before he did something he regretted.

“I talked to a lawyer today,” Minho stated, diverting the conversation. “It’s a bit more expensive than I expected.”

“Oh?” Jisung asked, listening intently. He hadn’t done much research on it yet, focused on his finals and new job. “How much is it?”

“It’s gonna cost us almost 5 grand.” Minho paused the movie, looking over at Jisung again. His eyes were no longer glossed over with a defense that was practiced, like on Monday night. No, he looked vulnerable for the first time that Jisung ever saw him.

And this time, Jisung laughed. He couldn’t find it in himself to feel depressed over the matter anymore, not when he was free of his parents and enjoying his time with Minho, Seungmin, and his other coworkers. Despite being tied down by a marriage certificate, this was the freest Jisung has ever felt in his life. He felt so light, and maybe it was the alcohol again, but felt so comfortable in his own skin.

“I’ve never felt so alive,” Jisung whispered with a smile, looking Minho in the eye. The other had an unreadable expression on his face, so Jisung decided to elaborate. “I’ve never felt so free. We’re tied down by a contract but I’m free of my parents, my expectations, my responsibilities… they’re gone.”

The last part, though whispered, was powerful, and the words struck a chord in Jisung’s own heart.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” Minho says in response.

And oh, that is not what Jisung expected. He panicked, remembering how this ended for them last time, and instantly sobered up.

“Uh, I’m gonna brush my teeth and go to sleep.” He set his drink down on the kitchen counter on his way to the bathroom, and leaned back on the door as he closed it. Jisung’s heart was racing, part traumatized from the last time he and Minho kissed, and part freaking out because ‘Lee Minho wanted to kiss ME’. He moved to splash cold water on his face and brush his teeth quickly, scared to return to the living room. When he exited the bathroom though, Minho was already gone. His laptop and drink were both missing, and his bedroom door was closed. Jisung breathed a sigh of relief, settling into the futon for the night. He really hoped that Minho wouldn’t remember what happened tonight.

Minho woke up earlier than Jisung did, to Jisung’s surprise. The younger was woken up by the sounds of a fridge and plastic rattling, causing him to sit up and look for the cause of the noise. Minho was in the kitchen making himself a sandwich, which in turn caused Jisung to check the time on his phone. It was already noon, so Jisung quickly hopped out of bed and joined Minho in the kitchen.

“You’re up early,” Jisung noted, waiting with bated breath to see if Minho acted any different because of last night.

“Yeah, I guess I passed out when I went to bed. I hardly remember what happened last night,” Minho replies, spreading some mayo on his sandwich. “Do you want a sandwich too?”

“Sure, thanks.” Jisung grabs a plate as Minho reaches for the bread. They eat lunch together in silence, Jisung not speaking in case Minho had a hangover.

“Did you wanna go to the mall today?” Minho asks when he’s finished, placing his dish in the sink.

“If it’s ok with you,” Jisung replies, taking another bite of his sandwich. “If you have a hangover we don’t have to go.”

“It’ll wake me up more,” Minho insists, heading to his bedroom to grab clothes for a shower. Jisung finishes his sandwich and waits for Minho to exit so he can change as well. They exchange places and Jisung is standing in front of his closet, debating what to wear.

‘I should dress up nicely, we are going to the mall’ Jisung thinks, pushing the clothes in his closet around. He decides to be daring today, picking out a white crop top with some baggy black pants, and a black sweatshirt to throw over the whole thing. The crop top hugged his form nicely, cutting off just above his belly button. With just a bit of makeup and hair styling, Jisung knew he’d look the hottest in the mall.

After getting changed Jisung left the bedroom and sat on the couch, waiting for Minho to finish his shower. He finally heard the door open and looked up at the older.

“That’s what you’re wearing to the mall?” Jisung asked, befuddled. “Sweatpants and a t-shirt?”

Minho turns to look at Jisung and shrugs, his signature move. “Why not? I’m not trying to impress anyone.”

Jisung just sighs and walks to the door, slipping his Vans on. It takes Minho just a second to drop off his towels and meet Jisung at the door, putting his own shoes on. They walk to the car and buckle up, Jisung typing the address into Minho’s phone and letting the GPS guide them. Jisung feels comfortable enough to sing along with Minho’s music choice this time, the two singing loud with the windows down. It was comfortable, and Jisung dared to even call Minho his friend now.

After arriving and shopping around for a good hour, the two noticed a Starbucks on their journey. Jisung was excited to order something and show Minho how much he already learned, practically dragging the other into line.

“What type of drink do you like? Coffee? Fruity? Tea?” Jisung asked, eyes raking over the familiar menu.

“I like coffee but make it super sweet.” Minho pulled his wallet out to grab some cash, letting Jisung do the ordering.

“Can I get a pink drink with peach juice and an iced caramel cloud macchiato with extra vanilla pumps?” Jisung ordered, giving his Starbucks numbers for a discount, and they got their drinks quickly for such a busy place.

“Is it good?” Jisung asks, sipping on his own drink. Minho just hums, clearly pleased with the choice Jisung made for him.

“Alright, onto H&M!” Jisung exclaims, leading Minho towards their next store. It was almost comical, how Minho acted like a parent being dragged around by their child.

Jisung was only shopping in the clearance section in every store, since these were supposed to be cheap work clothes, and Minho just held the bags while Jisung observed each piece of clothing.

“You know, it feels like I’m your sugar daddy,” Minho muses, laughing at the embarrassed look on Jisung’s face.

“We’re in public!” Jisung snaps back, the red on his cheeks worsening.

The two were able to call it quits after buying from six different stores (“they’re all from clearance though, Minho!”) and head home, tired from walking around the large mall all day. It was already time for dinner, but neither wanted to spend money on takeout.

“How does chili sound?” Minho asks, scrolling through some recipes on Pinterest. Jisung is busy cutting the tags off of his clothes and adding up the amount he owes Minho.

“Sounds really good, actually,” Jisung says. “I’ll help you after I get these dang tags off.”

When Jisung finishes discarding all the new clothing tags into the trash, he looms over Minho’s shoulder, trying to see the recipe.

“Do you mind getting the onions and peppers diced up while I cook the meat?” Minho asks, scrolling through the recipe directions.

Jisung nods and grabs the vegetables, quietly chopping while the hamburger cooks.

“It’s way too quiet in here,” Minho states, picking his phone up off the counter to play some music. One of Jisung’s favorite songs comes on, a new release from Day6.

“I love this song!” Jisung exclaims, humming along as he cuts the remaining peppers. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Minho was doing small dance moves while pushing around the sizzling meat, a small smile on his face. It made Jisung feel a certain type of way that he really didn’t want to address just yet. Since Minho was enjoying himself just as much, Jisung shifted from humming to singing. He could see the other still as he used his singing voice, so Jisung decided to quiet down a little, not sure if he broke any unspoken rule between the two of them.

“I didn’t know you could sing so well,” Minho observes, turning to face the younger. A blush creeps over his cheeks and Jisung quickly goes back to dicing before the other notices.

“It’s just something I do in my free time, nothing serious,” Jisung spoke in a low voice. That was the end of that, and the two were all ready to start mixing the items together in the pot. Jisung, after handing over the vegetables, helped by running around to grab spices that Minho would yell out.

“Garlic powder!”

“Got it!”

“Crushed red pepper!”

“Got it!” 

“Cayenne pepper!”

“Uh… did you even buy that?” Jisung replied frantically, shifting bottles around to try and find the cayenne. Minho rushed over to see if he himself could find it, reaching right over Jisung to grab the small bottle sitting right in front.

“I think you need some glasses, Sung,” Minho joked. That shocked Jisung a bit- that was the first time Minho had called him by that nickname, but it didn’t seem to phase the older so Jisung just went along with it.

“My vision is perfectly fine, thank you very much.” Jisung pouted, taking a seat at the table while Minho stirred all the ingredients together.

“Do you want me to make garlic bread while we wait?” Minho asked, turning the heat on the stove to a low boil.

“Will it be like Olive Garden’s?” Jisung teased with a smile on his face. Minho laughed and got to working on the bread as well, crafting up some kind of mixture to brush on top.

Minho timed it perfectly, the bread being done at the same time as the chili, and the two sat down to eat together for the first time. The first bite that Jisung took was packed full of flavor, and he couldn’t help but make a small moan at how good it tasted.

“That good, huh?” Minho asked, taking a bite of his own. Jisung watched as Minho gave the same reaction, letting out a small “wow” before digging back in.

“I forgot how good home-cooked food is,” Jisung said around bites of chili, nearly burning his mouth with how quickly he was trying to eat.

The two finished their meal silently, accompanied by the soft sounds of music coming from Minho’s phone. It almost felt domestic, like something Jisung could get used to. The two cleaned up together, Jisung taking care of wiping down the table and Minho washing the dishes. Right when the two were finished, a knock came at the door, the older going to see who it is.

“Minho!” A familiar voice exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Minho’s neck. Felix let go and spotted Jisung, rushing over to hug him as well. They all sat down in the living room, excited to be reunited again.

“So what’s the tea you had to spill?” Jisung asks, taking a sip of water.

“Ah- Chan and I are dating!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chanlix is my pride and joy ty for coming to my TED talk


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He uh, he said that he wanted to kiss me.”
> 
> “Oh my god Jisung, how did you live?” Seungmin exclaims, his lips parted in a small “o” shape. “Anyone would die to hear that from Lee Minho.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I definitely forgot to talk about the comeback last week and can I just say that I AM FLOORED. Stray Kids world domination. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Jisung nearly spat his water out, ended up choking, and then finally came to terms with what Felix just said.

“You- really?” He asks, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Mhm!” Felix hums with a big smile. Jisung waits for Felix to elaborate more, but he has this lovestruck look on his face that makes Jisung a little jealous.

“Did he finally get the balls or did you?” Minho asks from the other end of the couch, intrigued in Felix’s story as much as Jisung. He must’ve noticed Chan’s not-so-subtle affection and Felix’s obliviousness as well.

“Ah, right. So-” Felix takes a big breath before going into his long explanation. “You know how I spent the night with him after our performance?” Both boys shake their head yes, but Jisung pipes up.

“How’d you end up at his place?” He asks. “I know you all went to Minho’s dorm but…”

“Ah, we left to fuck,” Felix answers nonchalantly, and Jisung is glad he wasn’t drinking water this time. “Anyway, we left and after we fucked, I decided to spend the night, like you know.”

Jisung nods his head along this time, keeping up with the story.

“So instead of sleeping, we just stayed up and talked about whatever. I was feeling a little vulnerable, and talked about some of my insecurities, mainly my freckles,” Felix said. “So he got really sappy and told me how beautiful they are. It just felt right, so I kissed him, and he got all teary-eyed and told me he’s falling in love with me.”

At this, Jisung gasped and Minho groaned out, likely in disgust at how sappy their confession was. Felix simply laughed, jumping right back into his story.

“I got really defensive at first, since I thought that he betrayed me by falling for me when we agreed not to, but after locking myself in his bathroom I realized that I kinda fell for him unknowingly, too?” Felix stated. “So we’ve been exclusive ever since that night.”

Minho whistles out in shock, crossing his arms over his chest. “How does Hyunjin feel about this?”

“Oh, he was definitely upset when I first told him,” Felix laughs. “But he’s happy for me. He just has to find a new fuckbuddy, is all.”

Jisung is unbelievably happy for his friend, that he was able to find someone that loves him in his first year of college. He can’t help but think of Seungmin, though, wondering how he feels about the situation- especially since he made out with Chan and is pining over Hyunjin as well.

“Oh, you know what-” Felix says, pulling his phone out from his pocket. “Chan got these really nice photos of me when we were having sex-”

Jisung covers his ears and shakes his head, not wanting to hear about Felix’s sex life. Felix is unphased, eagerly showing Minho the pictures on his phone. They both act like this is normal, and maybe it is to them, and Jisung can’t help but wonder if this was a common occurrence between the dancers. Once Felix is done showing off his body to Minho, Jisung uncovers his ears and looks at Felix, who is shaking his head in disapproval.

“They’re not even that explicit, Sungie, it’s ok,” Felix laughs, and Jisung can’t help but feel embarrassed. It’s not just that he got flustered easily, but he didn’t want to get turned on right in front of Minho, either. But he felt like he had something to prove to someone as attractive and experienced as Minho, so he told Felix to show him the pictures. Felix excitedly pulled them up on his phone, and oh.

That certainly wasn’t what he expected.

In the first picture, Felix was gagged with a black piece of leather, eyes nearly shut but clearly full of tears. A single tear ran down his cheek and his hair was a mess, Jisung assumed from being pulled. It was dark but moonlight was streaming in enough to cast enough light to make out major features. It was honestly a beautiful piece of art, and Jisung was breathless.

“Wow” was all Jisung could manage out, eyes wide. Felix just giggled and moved onto the second photo, which focused on the bondages holding Felix’s wrists above his head. Again, a masterful piece of photography, and somehow Jisung was floored at the beauty and a little turned on at the same time.

“I thought you told Hyunjin that you only had a few toys,” Minho noted from his side of the couch. Felix looked up and smirked.

“Sure, but I never said how much Chan had. He’s got quite a few more than I do,” Felix said, as if this is a conversation about sneakers or stationary. Minho hummed in response, nodding his head.

“Don’t we all,” he quietly mutters, but Jisung’s ears pick up on it. He starts to nearly choke for the third time that day, a clear sign that maybe talking about sex isn’t for him. Jisung decides to ignore the comment and looks at some more photos Felix just had to wait to show him, some memes and a couple of pictures of animals he spotted on campus. Not long after Felix’s little slideshow, his parents sent him a text that said they were ready to pick him up, so the three made their goodbyes and promised to get together again, since Felix only lived an hour away from their college.

After Felix left, Minho wished Jisung a good night, since it was already getting late. Jisung quickly ran to grab some clothes for a shower, wondering if maybe there was a better situation to store his clothes, and rushed to take a shower before Minho went to bed. Once his clothes and towel were obtained, Jisung let himself relax. It was a busy but eventful day, especially whenever Felix is involved. He let the hot water pour over his skin, just thinking about the events of the day, thinking about the attractive cashier he saw in one of the stores, about the delicious drink he made Minho try, about the almost nudes shown to him of his best friend. Since he was essentially alone right now, the older boy in his bed, Jisung decided to indulge, allowing himself to think back and get off, something he hadn’t done in weeks.

It didn’t take much to get him hard, just remembering the flashes of erotic pictures Felix had were enough. Coupled with the thought of Minho mentioning his own toys, the thought of what Minho could possibly own was all more than enough to push Jisung over the edge.

It didn’t take long for him to wash up and dry off, throwing his pajamas on and letting himself fall asleep, a small pit in his chest that stemmed from guilt at using Minho in his dirty fantasy, but slept it off and felt fine the next morning.

Monday morning rolled around once again, meaning yet another week of training for Jisung. Although he lucked out with having the weekend off, since Seungmin worked a separate job on weekends, he knew he wouldn’t be so lucky to have such a consistent schedule once this week was over. He didn’t exactly dread it though, since he was a lot more comfortable with all of his coworkers, mainly the three closers, and almost looked forward to seeing and joking around with them. It was a lot different than being in his shared apartment. Not to say that it was uncomfortable- him and Minho were getting along really great recently, but it wasn’t like they were incredibly close. At Starbucks, it felt like he could tell these friends anything and they gave him total support. Once, someone had made a nasty remark to Seungmin about his sexuality, and the four boys, once the store was closed, cussed out not just that man but all homophobes. Despite the serious topic, they all laughed and relished in the comfort of one another, something Jisung hadn’t experienced before. Sure, he joined the art club in high school and was close to his English teacher in 10th grade, but those weren’t families like these coworkers were. Thinking about it just made Jisung tear up, since this was exactly what he longed for in college- a group that he could call his own and be comfortable in. It only took an accidental marriage and summer job to get, but he got it. Despite only working there a week, he knew that these friendships would turn into everlasting relationships.

All of these thoughts were interrupted by the bus slowing down to a stop at the university, letting Jisung and a couple of other students off. It was a beautiful day out, and since Jisung was just a little bit early, he decided to sit outside and soak up the sun before his shift. There was a large patch of grass that students would normally sit and do their work, but since it was summer, only a family having a small picnic was there. Jisung let his bag sit next to him as he laid out, his cute black blouse and dark jeans seeming to be too much for the beautiful weather out. Jisung decided to even take his earbuds out and listen to the sounds around him, which was very unusual for the boy. It was refreshing and a reminder that things are going okay, despite the challenges he was facing. All of his complications with Minho, their marriage, his credit card payments and homophobic parents seemed to just fade away with the slight wind tussling his hair. They seemed insignificant now, leaving Jisung in a great mood before clocking into his shift.

This week Jisung was going to be making drinks without Seungmin to help, though the other would be there if Jisung had any questions or needed clarification. His hands shook a little as he poured his first frappuccino, but grew used to the fast paced environment. The constant presence of Seungmin also helped Jisung be more confident in his drink making abilities, and he was already nearing the end of his shift before he knew it.

“See, I knew you’re more than capable of making those drinks,” Seungmin bragged, washing up the dishes while Jisung made whipped cream for the morning shift.

“I think it was a fluke, there’s no way I remembered that much,” Jisung laughs.

“By the way, how’d your night with Minho go on Friday?” Seungmin asks with a smirk on his face.

“Wh-what do you mean?” Jisung stutters, clearly giving something away. Seungmin just laughed and continued washing dishes while Jisung wiped at his reddening cheeks.

“I just thought that maybe you cozied up to him, or something. You seem a little flustered,” Seungmin says.

“We just watched a movie and talked a little, nothing big.” Jisung started to make the whipped cream just a little faster, trying to escape Seungmin’s watchful gaze. “Why does it seem like everyone thinks I can cozy up to him?”

“Mhm, I’m sure nothing happened,” Seungmin says, doubt laced in his tone.

“Well, maybe he said something a little unusual, but nothing big,” Jisung mutters quietly, hoping Seungmin can’t hear him over the running water. Unfortunately though, it seems Seungmin has really good hearing.

“Oh?” He asks, just finishing up the dishes and turning the water off. “What’d he say?”

Jisung looked around the back room nervously, knowing that his coworkers were also not very straight and supportive of his sexuality, but still embarrassed to talk about it at the same time.

“He uh, he said that he wanted to kiss me.”

“Oh my god Jisung, how did you live?” Seungmin exclaims, his lips parted in a small “o” shape. “Anyone would die to hear that from Lee Minho.”

“I just kinda panicked and ran to the bathroom,” Jisung starts with a sigh. “We both fell asleep and haven’t talked about it since. I don’t think he even remembers.”

“I only gave you both a few cans, is he that much of a lightweight?” Seungmin asks, more to himself than anything. Jisung just shrugs and continues his job, finishing up on his last whipped cream.

“Enough about me, what about you and Hyunjin?” Jisung teases, but instantly regrets his choice. He notices Seungmin freeze up, his shoulders scrunching up and face stoic.

“What about us? We’re just childhood friends.” Seungmin leaves no room for argument, turning away to bring the dishes up to the bar area. Jisung feels terrible, knowing their car ride home would be filled with tense silence. When Seungmin returns to grab more dishes, Jisung stops him.

“I just, um,” Jisung tries to put his words together concisely enough to get through to Seungmin. “I wasn’t sure if you knew that Felix and Chan are exclusive now. I’m not sure if Hyunjin told you.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened, whether it was happiness or shock or betrayal, Jisung couldn’t tell. He could see Seungmin visibly loosen up, relaxing enough to appear normal again.

“No, he didn’t tell me. I’m shocked. Who asked who out?”

“Apparently Chan did, he finally got the courage to do so,” Jisung murmurs, moving onto his next task of filling up the ice trays. “Felix seemed really happy when he visited me.”

Seungmin hummed happily, and that seemed to be enough to divert the situation away from the Hyunjin situation. The rest of their team cleaned up quickly and they were out in no time, Jisung following Seungmin like a puppy as usual. The two were quiet but fortunately music filled the empty air, windows open with a small breeze as they drove Jisung home.

Jisung gave Seungmin a small thanks as he exited the car, making a mental note to never talk about Hyunjin unless Seungmin himself brought him up.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung:  
> Are you and Seungmin in on some kind of conspiracy?
> 
> Felix ♡:  
> ?????  
> What do you mean??
> 
> Jisung:  
> You both think that somehow I’m going to win over Minho
> 
> Felix ♡:  
> Oh no sweetie, that’s not a conspiracy  
> Those are cold hard FACTS

It seemed that this week was not Jisung’s week. It felt like it would be a good one- the weather was gorgeous, his bill would be paid by the end of it, but it seemed like there was inner turmoil wherever he went.

It was Wednesday night, and Jisung just finished showering and cooking some mac and cheese when Minho arrived home. It wasn’t an abnormal occurrence, so Jisung went about as normal and poured his mac and cheese in a bowl, setting it down at the table and sitting down to eat. Unlike normal, though, Minho hobbled into the kitchen, clearly in pain.

“Are you okay?” Jisung asks, worry painted all over his face. It’s clear that Minho isn’t okay, face scrunched up in pain as he makes his way to sit at the kitchen table. 

“Yeah, just hurt my ankle a bit at practice today. I’m fine.” Minho is clearly not fine, and Jisung gets up to grab an ice pack to help ease the pain.

“Here, ice it. You should know this, you’re a dance major!” Jisung sighs dramatically, heading to the bathroom to find some painkillers for the older. When he grabs the Tylenol sitting on the top shelf, he also notices some bandages that look to be for injuries like this. If anything, he’s seen some of the kids in his art club use this for their wrists, so he figures ankles can't be all that different.

Jisung returns to the kitchen where Minho is currently hunched over, holding the ice pack to his ankle. He sets the Tylenol on the table and sits on the floor, prying the ice pack away from his ankle. They’re both silent as Jisung carefully wraps the bandages around his ankle, trying not to make it too tight. There’s no protest from Minho, so Jisung finishes it up with some medical tape and places the ice pack right back where it was.

“There, make sure you let it heal now.” Jisung grabs the rest of the supplies and brings them back to the bathroom, finally sitting down to eat his lukewarm mac and cheese.

“It must be so nice to be a linguistics major. Not nearly as difficult or injury inducing,” Minho muses, setting his head on his palm.

“Are you kidding me?” Jisung asks, Minho’s words sitting sour in his stomach.

“No,” Minho says simply, looking up at the younger. “After all, I’m sure teaching kids sounds is a lot easier than teaching them dance moves.”

This makes Jisung’s blood boil, unable to hold his harsh words from spilling out. He barks out a laugh, causing Minho’s eyes to widen.

“No, it’s really not. Do you even know how awful it is to even need to see a speech therapist as a kid? There’s so much negative stigma surrounding it, everyone thinks you’re stupid and make fun of you because you have to go to the ‘special’ teacher during class, it’s embarrassing and you get picked on relentlessly! I would know! I was bullied all throughout middle school because of this shit!” Jisung yells, pushing his mac and cheese out of his view. “I can’t believe you think so little of my dream job.”

At that, Jisung stands up, grabs his jacket, and storms out of the apartment, not even sure where he was going, just knowing he had to get away somehow. He wiped at the tears of frustration forming and let his feet take him wherever they would. After walking around for a good 10 minutes he finally found a spot to settle down, a small park that was empty, considering it was so late. The sun was already beginning to set, and Jisung was lucky he brought his phone with him because the area was unfamiliar to him. He decided to sit on one of the swings, feeling almost like the main character in a YA novel, except he had no love interest to talk to.

Jisung realized that he overreacted, Minho probably just trying to joke around in the stoic way he does. He didn’t like the dismissive tone Minho used, though, and he kind of deserved it. ‘It’s not like he knew your background and tried to hurt you though, Jisung,’ he thought to himself. ‘But it’s still insensitive to bash someone’s major’.

The back and forth argument in his head continued for a while before Jisung decided to calm down and breathe in the fresh air, forgetting about the argument and focusing on other things- like calling Felix. The other boy picked up at the first ring, expected for Felix.

“Jisung! What’s up?” Felix asked.

“Hey, I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Why, is something wrong?”

Jisung couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Why, can’t I just listen to my best friend’s voice?”

“You’ve never called me like this before, what’s wrong? I can hear the tears in your voice.” That didn’t make any sense to Jisung, but he took his word for it.

“Minho and I got into a fight,” Jisung sighs, letting his shoes dig into the dirt below. “Well, more like he said something insensitive and I blew up at him.”

“Oh Sungie,” Felix whined. “What’d he say?”

“He was kinda dismissing my major, and I blew up at him because of my past-speech impediment thing.” Jisung leans back on the swing, letting his hair fall behind him. It was almost therapeutic, being free to do anything in this darkness.

Felix just hummed, taking in all the info he had. “Do you know why he’d say something like that?”

“Well,” Jisung starts. “He twisted his ankle at the studio today and was talking about how I have it a lot easier.”

“Ahh,” Felix says. “He gets like that sometimes, says things he doesn’t really mean. I’m sure you really yelled at him.”

“I did,” Jisung chuckles, sitting back up on the swing. “But I feel sorta bad. It’s our first fight and I really don’t wanna go back.”

“Wait, where’d you run off to?” Felix asks.

“I don’t know, some park.”

“Han Jisung,” Felix says sternly. “It’s already dark out, you better go back soon and make amends. Hell, stay on the phone with me while you walk, I don’t trust that you’d make it back safely.”

Jisung sighs but knows that Felix is right. He’s alone with nothing to defend himself, he’s an easy target to anyone who would happen to be passing.

“Fine, but only because I love you,” Jisung says, planting his feet on the ground to stand. “Chan had better watch his back.”

Felix lets out a small giggle at that, caused by the novelty of a new relationship, and Jisung smiles at how happy Felix seems to be. They both made small talk while Jisung retraced his steps, occasionally pulling his phone away to check a map. It felt like the walk back was much shorter than the walk there, and Jisung thanked Felix before heading into the apartment.

Jisung didn’t expect to see Minho still up, but the lights in the kitchen were on and the older sat at the table. Not having the energy to say anything to him, Jisung simply grabbed his pajamas and walked to the bathroom, making eye contact only once. He noticed the other was eating some kind of spicy noodles, but Jisung closed the door before Minho could say a word. After his shower, the lights in the kitchen were off and Minho was in his room. Jisung relaxed at that and made his way to his own bed, thinking of how he would make conversation with Minho tomorrow.

When Jisung woke up the next morning, Minho was already gone. It was a long, tiring night, so Jisung ended up sleeping in until noon, so it isn’t too big of a shock that Minho left early for something- probably groceries or extra studio practice, even though he should be resting with his ankle. It made Jisung both happy and anxious. He got more time alone, but more time to think about how they’re going to get over this fight. It felt like there was about to be another battle in his head, fighting over how to go about apologizing. ‘I’ll just come up with something at work or ask Seungmin’ he thinks.

The first thing Jisung does when he gets up is head to the kitchen, where he spots a slice of strawberry cheesecake on the table, still wrapped in plastic. Intrigued, Jisung steps closer until he sees a small note underneath. 

For you, sorry

Jisung’s heart swelled, almost feeling guilty for how he treated Minho yesterday. It seemed like the older didn’t do apologies very well, instead making it up to him with food. If Jisung remembers correctly, Felix told him that’s how Minho acted, so the younger smiled and had his cheesecake for lunch, nutrition be damned.

Jisung nearly forgot about his and Minho’s fight until he returned to the apartment after a fun day at work. It was pretty slow, only being a Thursday, so Jisung and his coworkers were quick to joke around and make drink concoctions for fun. It felt so carefree that walking into the apartment really dampened his mood, simply throwing his bag to the side and heading to take a shower. Being that it was such a good day, he completely forgot to ask Seungmin about his issue or even think about what he should say. The time in the shower helped very little, since he knew the older would be home soon. Jisung was too anxious, so instead of eating, he sat in the kitchen and played Animal Crossing to relieve his nerves, as normal. Within minutes Minho returned, still slightly limping to get into the apartment. They made eye contact and Jisung could almost see the fear in Minho’s eyes, probably wondering how Jisung would react- whether he would start yelling, crying, or anything else of that variety.

“Should you really be going to the studio with a twisted ankle?” Jisung asks worriedly. Minho’s face softens at that, grateful that Jisung isn’t still upset.

“My kids still have to learn whether I’m in one piece or not,” Minho jokes back. He hobbles over to the couch and collapses, breathing out a large sigh. There’s a bit of silence between them before Jisung works up the words to apologize, choosing what feels right in the moment.

“I’m sorry about last night,” Jisung starts, sitting down on the couch as well. “I was hurt by what you said but I shouldn’t have yelled at you like I did.”

Minho simply hums and looks at Jisung, nodding slightly and pulling his phone out. “It’s okay, I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

Well, there was that. A whole hour of worry dissolved with just minutes of talking to Minho. It seemed like the two had made up, but there was still awkward tension lingering in the air. ‘Think Jisung,’ he thought to himself. ‘How do you usually get over fights with friends?’ Normally, when he and Felix got into a fight they’d cuddle it out, put a movie on and eat some junk food, but that was definitely out of the question with Minho. Before him and Felix were that close, though…

“Do you wanna play a game?” Jisung blurts out of the blue. He sees Minho’s eyebrows raise, but there isn’t an immediate “no” so he thinks he’s in the clear.

“What game?” Minho asks.

“Well, I was thinking something on our phones? Like 8 ball, or something,” Jisung suggests, pulling his own phone out of his pocket.

“I’ve never played 8 ball before,” Minho admits, unlocking his phone. Jisung’s mouth widens in shock.

“Well, you’re about to learn!”

Felix ♡:  
Did you and Minho make up yet or do I have to come play marriage counselor?

Jisung:  
He got me a strawberry cheesecake and I apologized  
I taught him how to play 8 ball and we played for a good hour   
All good :)

Felix ♡:  
;)

Jisung:  
Are you and Seungmin in on some kind of conspiracy?

Felix ♡:  
?????  
What do you mean??

Jisung:  
You both think that somehow I’m going to win over Minho

Felix ♡:  
Oh no sweetie, that’s not a conspiracy  
Those are cold hard FACTS

Jisung:  
Sure, Jan

Felix ♡:  
That meme is long dead, Sungie

Jisung:  
Whatever, go back to your boyfriend or whatever you do these days  
Loser

Felix ♡:  
I will!! <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is such a short chapter!! Next chapter will be much longer, I promise! ♡


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That was such a good movie, wow,” Jisung sniffles, taking a sip of his strawberry drink. He notices Minho giving him a funny look out of the corner of his eye and takes the opportunity to jump on it. “What, are you gonna make fun of me for crying? Jerk.”

Things are relatively back to normal by the time Friday rolls around, which means Jisung is excited about his plans for tonight.

“We’re going to watch this cute Japanese movie tonight, I’ve been wanting to watch it for a while now!” He tells Seungmin as they’re cleaning up the store. “And right when I get home I’m going to pay off my bill!”

The other boys cheer for him, even going as far as to give him a birthday cake pop as a celebratory gift.

“You know you start working on your own on Sunday, right?” Woojin asks him as they lock up. “Seungmin won’t be here but I will, so if you need any help feel free to ask me, okay?”

Jisung could feel the responsible parent vibes radiating from the older boy, so Jisung smiled and thanked him for the offer.

The ride back to the apartment felt like forever with Jisung nearly bouncing in his seat. Seungmin almost had to tell him to calm down, but couldn’t find a way to tell him without ruining his energy, so he just let it go for now.

“I don’t know whether you’re more excited for the movie or to pay off your bill,” Seungmin laughed as they pulled into the driveway. Jisung leaned over and gave the other a quick hug before leaving, which left Seungmin in a state of shock. Not that it was weird- it just wasn’t something Jisung had ever done to him before.

“Minho, you’re in for a treat tonight,” Seungmin mumbled to himself. Right as he was about to pull away, Seungmin got a text from Hyunjin.

Jinnie  
Hey, are you free to come over rn?  
I’m at Changbin’s apartment  
We need to talk

Right as he walked in the door, Jisung forwent his normal shower-then-food schedule in favor of sitting down and pulling up his bank account. There sat the number- $400, which covered more than enough for his bill and enough to pay back Minho for his clothes. He opened his credit card app and hit “pay now”, the little green check on his screen enough to make him breathe again. He did it.

Jisung puts on some music to dance to and finds a good party recipe, a buffalo chicken dip that sounds delicious right about now.

Jisung:  
Do you mind picking up some chicken on your way back?

He decides to prep the ingredients regardless of the answer, but it didn’t take long before he got one. Minho had just gotten home, meaning he probably hadn’t seen the text yet. Right when he walked in the door, Minho was ambushed with questions.

“Minho! Do you mind running to the store and grabbing chicken? And maybe some juice to celebrate tonight?” Jisung asks from the kitchen, mixing up some kind of cream cheese and ranch combo.

“Sure, wanna tag along?” Minho asks, setting his dance bag down next to the door. “I might need an extra set of hands to carry things.”

So, there they were, at a grocery shop just 5 minutes from their apartment. Jisung was holding their shopping basket, headed directly to the meat section. It took just a minute for Jisung to find the cheapest package of meat, tossing it into the basket. Next on the list was some tortilla chips to dip, but too many options laid in front of them.

“Should we get the scoops or just the regular ones?” Jisung asks, picking up both bags.

“Whatever you want,” Minho replies. “I’m not picky.”

“I think the scoops would work better, let's do that.” The chips get placed alongside the meat, and they have just one more item on their list.

“What kind of drink do you want?” Jisung asks, looking around at the signs to find where they would be kept.

“Why don’t we get some wine coolers? You paid off your bill, it should be a real celebration.”

Jisung couldn’t argue with that logic, following Minho to the alcohol section since the older knew his way around the store better, and grabbed a couple of strawberry flavored drinks. Minho grabbed a variety of flavors, like peach and apple, and brought them all up to self checkout.

“Do you think they’ll believe my ID is really me?” Minho smirks, putting the meat in a bag.

“Well it is you, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t,” Jisung replies, scanning one of the bottles as a notice came on their screen. The worker, clearly young and tired, took Minho’s ID with no question. They both mentally cheered, even though nothing they were doing was illegal.

The total came to be around $20, which Minho instinctively pulled his own card out for. Jisung grabbed his hand to stop him, reaching to grab his own card.

“I have money now, I can get this,” Jisung says with a smile.

“Wow,” Minho draws out, shoving his wallet back into his pocket. “You make a little bit of money and now the roles are reversed.”

Jisung just gives a small giggle and soon they’re back at the apartment, Jisung letting Minho go first up the stairs just in case his ankle gave out and he fell.

(“I’ve been walking on it the last 2 days, Sung, I’ll be fine.”

“I think you’re full of it. Now go.”)

Contrary to their cooking roles last week, Minho sat at the kitchen table while Jisung threw everything together. Jisung pulled up some music again as he placed the dip in the oven to bake.

“By the way, what’s your Venmo? I need to pay you back for all the clothes.” Jisung sits down across from Minho, pulling his phone out. The transaction goes through smoothly, and Jisung still has a little bit of money to live on for the next week.

A loud beep sounds out between them, signalling that the dip is done, and the boys excitedly dish some onto a couple of paper plates. They each grab a handful of chips, grab their drinks, and settle onto the couch, where Jisung’s laptop is already loaded and ready for them to press play.

Jisung is obviously focused on the movie, hardly looking away to eat or drink. Minho finds himself looking at Jisung a bit more often than he should, but he tells himself that he’s just amused at how intrigued the younger looks.

The movie is a short one, only lasting an hour, but Jisung is tearing up by the end of it, wiping at his eyes with the long sleeves he has on. Minho blames his lack of a reaction on being stoic, though honestly he wasn’t paying too much attention to be engrossed.

“That was such a good movie, wow,” Jisung sniffles, taking a sip of his strawberry drink. He notices Minho giving him a funny look out of the corner of his eye and takes the opportunity to jump on it. “What, are you gonna make fun of me for crying? Jerk.”

“I didn’t say a word,” Minho states, taking a sip of his own drink.

“Sorry,” Jisung mumbles. “My family always made fun of me for this stuff.”

“Your family doesn’t seem too pleasant,” Minho replies, not even thinking twice that it could be another statement to send Jisung off the edge. He winces after the words come out, sober enough to realize the repercussions he could face because of not having a filter.

“No, you’re right. They’re not pleasant at all,” Jisung says. Minho is shocked at how calm Jisung is, but he isn’t going to complain. “They’re super homophobic.”

“So I’ve heard. Why do they care so much? It’s not like it affects who they date.” Minho asks, genuinely curious.

“They’re really religious, so having a son who likes dick would be the end of their ranking in our church.” Jisung chuckles at that, laughing at how ridiculous it sounds. Minho looks a bit taken aback, shocked at how expressive Jisung is when drunk, despite seeing the same thing the night of their marriage. “Imagine they find out I went to a party, got drunk, and married some hot guy all in one night. I think they’d have a fucking heart attack.”

“Seems like a nightmare to me,” Minho says.

“I’ll drink to that,” Jisung laughs, finishing off the rest of his bottle. “Are your parents ok with you being gay then?”

“Well it’s just my mom and I, and yes, she’s well aware.” Minho gets up to grab two more drinks for them, and settles back into his spot next to Jisung. “She’s the one paying for this place, if you couldn’t tell.”

“Really?” Jisung asks, shocked. “I thought you just had a really good paying job or something.”

“No, she’s been funding me these last few years of college.” Minho pops the top off of his drink and takes a large gulp. “It was always just her and I growing up, so I know she wants the best for me. I trust her with everything.”

Jisung nods, not because he understands what it’s like to have a supportive family, but because he can tell how much Minho loves his mother.

“Not to be mean, but if that’s the case, why can’t she pay for the divorce?” Jisung asks.

“Because I know it’ll make her disappointed in me, and I just can’t deal with that. It’s much worse than being yelled or screamed at, and she’ll blame herself for raising someone like me,” Minho sighs out sadly.

“At least it doesn’t seem like you’ll be disowned anytime soon. Moving in here was teetering on the line for me,” Jisung laughs bitterly. “I’m sure that liking dick will be the final straw.”

“It’s funny how you couldn’t look at Felix’s pictures but can openly talk about dick,” Minho blurts out.

“It’s because I’m tipsy. You think I could talk like this when I’m totally sober?” Jisung bites back. “Speaking of that, though, didn’t you say you have sex toys?”

Jisung didn’t want to admit it, but the thought plagued him all week long, constantly replaying the situation and imagining what Minho could possibly own.

“I do, why?” Minho asks skeptically. Jisung slightly panics, but comes up with a good enough cover up quickly.

“I was just looking to buy one soon, I thought you might know what brands are good,” Jisung smoothly lies, taking another sip. God, he wished he was wasted right now.

“Ah, do you know what type of toy you want?” Minho asks.

“Uhm,” Jisung slightly panics internally. “Not really, I was just toying with the idea.”

Minho snickers at that, moving to get off the couch. “I’ll show you what I’ve got.”

Jisung nearly sobers up at that, but keeps his cool as he follows Minho to his bedroom. From there he reaches into his bedside drawer, where a cardboard box sits. The older pulls it out and sets it on his bed, waving his arm to proudly display what he has. Jisung creeps over and looks inside, seeing about 10 different items, all different colors and sizes. He raises his arm to grab one on top, but hesitates, not sure if he’s allowed to touch them. Minho seems to notice, because he grabs a small black vibrator and starts explaining.

“This is one of the vibrators I own, it’s just a small bullet with a wireless remote.” Minho sets it down on the bed and grabs a long purple thing. “This is another vibrator that I have, but you can charge it instead of buying batteries for it like the last one. It’s convenient if you use it a lot and don’t want to keep buying batteries.”

Minho went through the box, showing different dildos, butt plugs, and vibrators, showing off each of their good and bad points, as well as the brands for each of them. He also made sure to touch on cleaning practices, and especially lubricant. Finally, they got down to the last couple of items that Minho had.

“Aha- these are just pet play things, like a collar and ears. Don’t worry about these too much.” It was too late to say that though, because Jisung was definitely thinking about it. As Minho began packing the toys away, he wrote down some of the sites that Minho had mentioned in his phone and right underneath those, wrote ‘pet play’. Simply for educational purposes, of course.

“So, what do you think?” Minho teased with a smirk on his face, leaning against the night stand. “I’m shocked you didn’t, like, burst into flames or something.”

It was apparent that Minho was about as tipsy and Jisung was, considering his bold words, but that wouldn’t process in Jisung’s mind until the next day. 

“There’s a lot of different types, I didn’t expect that,” Jisung replies. “And I’m not 12, so shut up. I don’t know how you and Felix are so open about this stuff.”

“Because it’s normal,” Minho replies quickly, as if he’s had this conversation before. “Almost everyone does it, no reason to be shy about it.”

Jisung just shrugged, returning to the couch and wishing Minho a goodnight.

The next morning, Jisung had enough of a headache to be annoyed but not enough to stay in bed all day, so he woke up and ended up cooking some eggs for himself before Minho got up. The previous night was fuzzy, but with his headache he didn’t want to think harder than he had to. While he was eating his messy scrambled eggs, Minho came out of his room. He still looked amazing, despite his messy hair and oversized t-shirt.

‘I wonder how big that shirt would look on me,’ Jisung wondered briefly before running the idea off. That was dangerous territory to get into so early in the morning.

“Morning,” Jisung calls out to Minho, who still looks half asleep. Minho just nods and enters the bathroom, presumably to take a shower. 

Jisung decides to text Seungmin in the meantime, since the two both had the day off today and he felt like he had to tell Seungmin about everything that happened last night.

Jisung:  
Do you wanna go out somewhere today?

Surprisingly, Seungmin responds right away.

Seungminnie:  
Sure, I’ll come and pick you up in an hour?

Jisung:  
Sounds good!

Once he cleaned up his dishes, Jisung went into Minho’s room to change his clothes quickly. He just simply threw on a pair of joggers and a white t-shirt, not putting much effort into his outfit with such a headache. He sat back down on his bed and played on his phone until Minho came out of the bathroo, much more alert than when he woke up this morning.

“Seungmin and I are going out somewhere today, so you have the apartment to yourself,” Jisung said as the older passed by.

“Have fun,” Minho replied, heading into his own room and shutting the door. It wasn’t unusual for the older to do that a couple of weeks ago, but recently they’d been more comfortable with each other. Jisung couldn’t help but wonder if he did something while drinking, but he couldn’t worry for long, because Seungmin texted him that he was at Jisung’s apartment. He quietly put his shoes on and left, squinting at the too-bright sun.

“Seungmin!” Jisung exclaimed as he opened the car door. 

“Where are we going?” He asks, moving to put the car in drive.

“I want ice cream,” Jisung pouts, throwing his seatbelt on. “I have a small hangover too.”

“So I’ll make sure to turn the music on really loud, got it,” Seungmin laughs, driving away. Jisung huffs but chuckles under his breath. They end up pulling into a small ice cream shop, Seungmin getting a cookie dough cone and Jisung getting a strawberry sundae. They leave a small tip and agree on eating in the car, before Jisung points out a nearby park.

“That looks nice! We should walk over there while we eat our ice cream,” Jisung suggests, pulling Seungmin along. The two are silent as they walk along the path, too preoccupied with eating their ice cream before it melts. Jisung keeps looking around at the pretty scenery, not knowing that something like this existed so close to his and Minho’s apartment. It was quite large, with many families sitting out having picnics, taking pictures, or just walking and talking.

“There’s some seats over there,” Seungmin points out, nodding his head in the direction by a small fountain. They finish their ice cream quickly, with such a hot sun blaring on them, and Jisung throws his cup out before the two are situated and ready to talk.

“I’m gonna assume you didn’t call me out here just to get ice cream,” Seungmin laughs, shifting his weight on the stone seat. There were hardly any other people around them, which made it the perfect place for Jisung to talk.

“Yeah I- hm,” Jisung starts, wondering how to word his thoughts. As he’s about to speak, he notices a family walking their dog, and Jisung is suddenly reminded of what him and Minho did last night. “Oh my god.”

“What?” Seungmin asks, turning to look at the dog. “Are you scared of dogs or something?”

Jisung just shakes his head no and covers his face with his hands, embarrassed at how bold he was last night.

“I’m going to tell you something really embarrassing,” Jisung starts, hands still covering his face. Seungmin nods for Jisung to continue. “Last night I got Minho to show me his um… toy collection.”

“Like, sex toy collection?” Seungmin asks casually. Jisung removes his hands and quickly looks around to see if anyone heard them.

“Yeah,” Jisung admits, slumping over the stone table sitting between them.

“Well, that’s a start. What sort of things did he have?” Seungmin wonders aloud. 

“He had the usual like… things you would associate with it.” Jisung blushes, unable to say the words out loud. “And he seemed to be into this thing called pet play…?”

Seungmin bursts out laughing at that, hands grabbing at his stomach.

“Wow, I feel like that’s so Minho-like, it’s insane,” Seungmin admits. “But, isn’t that good news? You’re trying to win him over here.”

“I’m not!” Jisung exclaims, a pout forming on his face. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Because it’s true,” Seungmin says. Jisung just sighs loudly.

“Even if- if I was trying to win him over, it wouldn’t work,” Jisung says softly. The tone makes Seungmin wonder what’s going on in the other’s head. “He’s not looking for a relationship. He probably wants to just hook up with cute boys or something.”

Seungmin just stares at Jisung for a bit before smiling and scoffs at the other.

“Are you being serious right now? Jisung,” Seungmin starts. “First of all, has Minho brought any boys over since you’ve lived together?”

Jisung thinks about it, but he doesn’t have to think long. Minho hasn’t had anyone over- friends or hookups.

“Well, no-”

“And even if he did, do you not remember the party? He chose you as the most attractive person there, when a whole Hwang Hyunjin was present.” That makes Jisung smile a bit, knowing how much Seungmin is attracted to his childhood best friend.

“By the way, how’s Hyunjin doing?” Jisung asks, taking the spotlight away from himself.

“Well we actually met up yesterday…” Seungmin starts. “Wait. Don’t change the topic, Jisung. You were gonna say something before you got distracted.”

“Aha, was I?” Jisung plays dumb, scratching his head.

“Yah!” Seungmin exclaims, reaching over to swat at Jisung. The latter just giggles and jumps away from Seungmin’s attack. “You’re such a brat. Just tell me, I won’t judge you.”

Jisung whines but eventually whispers something under his breath. Seungmin can’t hear, so he leans in and asks Jisung to repeat it.

“I think… I’m starting to have a crush on Minho.” Jisung finishes his words off by hiding his face in his hands, a seemingly common pose for their conversations today.

“Wait…” Seungmin draws out, leaning forward. “That isn’t common knowledge?”

Jisung, not so embarrassed anymore, reaches over to hit Seungmin. “This is why I never talk about Minho with you.”

“No! No no, I’ll stop. But it only makes sense, you two are living together and getting closer. Plus the mutual physical attraction has already been established. It’s only a matter of time until Minho starts falling for you too, if he hasn’t already.”

Jisung is a little taken aback by Seungmin’s truthful words, not used to anything but his playful nature. “I’ve never been in a relationship though, Seungmin,” Jisung states. “Plus we have this whole marriage issue. It’s just not gonna happen.”

“Not if you have that attitude. We have to do something about that…” Seungmin thinks, then gasps and takes his phone out, moving to text someone.

"How does an amusement park date sound?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Jisung finally admits he has a crush on Minho... it's about damn time. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and is looking forward to the amusement park chapter next week!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I thought this was a romantic date,” Jisung hisses in his ear, low enough for only Seungmin to hear. “Not some friendly get together.”
> 
> “Relax,” Seungmin chuckles. “It will be. Just trust me.”

When Seungmin mentioned an amusement park, Jisung thought that it’d just be him and Minho, relishing in their relatively new friendship and sharing drinks and food with each other. It’d be semi romantic, and be the first step in an unspoken relationship. That’s the way Seungmin described it, anyways.

It was two weeks after Seungmin and Jisung talked about their plan, and about a month since Jisung moved in with Minho. They had grown pretty close since then, even being comfortable enough to tease and joke around with each other. The two were pretty consistent in schedules as well, every Friday being dedicated to a movie and drinks, which almost always led to near-confessions that Jisung broke off by running to the bathroom. It was a cycle that neither of them wanted to break.

The Thursday before their big getaway was Jisung’s time to shine. Seungmin convinced him to dye his hair a color he’s never tried- a navy blue that looked stunning in the sunshine. It was nearly a full day activity of bleaching, dyeing, eating, and then dyeing some more. Seungmin swore that this would be the kick that Jisung needed in order to win Minho over, and Jisung just nodded along and tried not to think about the very small crush he had on his roommate. Husband. Whatever. The end result was amazing though, even if Jisung had to rush to work with his fingernails stained blue.

Which led them to the present, where he and Minho were standing at the gate alongside Seungmin, Hyunjin, Felix, and Chan, waiting to walk through security to get into the amusement park. Seungmin failed to mention that the whole crew, essentially, would be tagging along, and pretty much burst Jisung’s confidence. He even got all dressed up, only to have his “date” interrupted by his close friends.

Once they’ve entered the park the boys all recollect, Felix insisting on getting a picture of the six boys, and Jisung pulls on Seungmin’s sleeve.

“I thought this was a romantic date,” Jisung hisses in his ear, low enough for only Seungmin to hear. “Not some friendly get together.”

“Relax,” Seungmin chuckles. “It will be. Just trust me.”

Seungmin then takes the lead, to Jisung’s surprise, and brings them all the way to the back of the park, where a rollercoaster sits. They make their way into the long line, talking about their month off so far. Felix talks about his younger sister, Chan about some computer game he was playing recently, Hyunjin about this new Tik Tok dance he found, and Seungmin about his and Jisung’s fun experiences at Starbucks. Minho was surprisingly quiet though, and when he looked over he noticed that Minho looked nervous, was picking at his fingernails and biting at his lip as they moved up in the line. Before Jisung could ask him about it though, Hyunjin spoke up.

“Wait, Minho, aren’t you scared of rollercoasters?” He asks. Minho visibly jerks his head up, shocked at the confrontation.

“Only, sorta, I’ll be okay though,” Minho states, trying his best to seem nonchalant about the whole thing. The other boys let it drop and continue their conversation about Tik Toks that they all have saved, while Jisung sneaks over to Minho’s side.

“To be fair, I’m a little scared too. I think Minnie chose a rollercoaster that goes backwards, too,” Jisung says, pointing at the carts. Sure enough, they’re brought to the top of the peak and dropped backwards, making Minho’s stomach do a somersault.

“Do you think he has a grudge against me or something?” Minho jokes to lighten the mood, but also to try and distract himself from the terrifying scene in front of him.

“Maybe for not helping him with that Tik Tok dance when he came over that one time?” Jisung laughed. Minho just smiled and shook his head at the memory.

“I just don’t get Tik Tok dances, they’re super repetitive and boring.” Minho shakes his head, crossing his arms. It seems like his nerves have gone away after talking with Jisung, but he doesn’t wanna give himself too much credit.

“This is why everyone says you’re an old man.” Jisung laughs and Minho just gives him a look that says he’s mad but isn’t going to do anything about it.

Minho seems to be alright from then on leading up to the rollercoaster, until it’s their turn to board. Jisung and Seungmin offer to take the other’s bags and wallets over to the cubby station, and Seungmin tugs Jisung harshly to whisper in his ear.

“Grab his hand,” Seungmin says quickly before heading off to his own cart with Hyunjin. Jisung is left blushing but hurries over before it takes off without him. He clicks his belt into place and lowers the large harness over his shoulders, noticing how quiet Minho is as the workers come around to check that everything is in place. Jisung is equally nervous, half due to the ride and half due to the move he was about to make. 

The workers signal an ‘okay’ and the coaster is moving, slowly but surely, reaching a peak that leads into a loop. Jisung can see that Felix and Chan are having a blast, smiling and laughing, the complete opposite of what Jisung and Minho were facing. Minho had his eyes screwed shut, obviously not enjoying the ride one bit. Just as they were reaching the peak, Jisung grabbed tightly onto Minho’s hand, which was gripping the bar ahead of them. His eyes shot open and looked at Jisung for a split second before they were falling, Jisung’s eyes focused on the track ahead of him instead of the boy next to him. Minho switched their hands around so that he was the one squeezing Jisung’s hand, almost hurting him, but Jisung couldn’t complain in the midst of the wild ride happening in front of him. 

Soon they were slowing down, but continued climbing up, so Minho opened his eyes again. They were climbing to the top of the section that releases you backwards, and to Jisung’s surprise, Minho’s hand stayed wrapped around Jisung’s own. Now that the ride had slowed down, his own heart rate picked up at the action.

‘Minho is holding my hand right now,’ Jisung is able to think before they’re dropped again, backwards this time, making his stomach flip inside out. He screams, along with the other riders (Felix as well, but Jisung knows it’s from excitement rather than fear), and the ride is finally over before Jisung realizes it. He goes to undo his own belt, but Minho is still gripping Jisung’s hand tightly, eyes closed.

“Minho,” Jisung leans in to speak. “The ride’s over.”

Minho’s eyes open slowly, the boy looking seriously out of breath. He quickly lets go of Jisung’s hand, which makes Jisung the tiniest bit sad at first. It’s replaced with loud sounds and an urgency to leave, since the next riders were boarding. Jisung and Minho grab their things and join the other pairs, all with completely different reactions.

“That was amazing!” Felix exclaims, skipping down the exit. “We should ride it again! The line is really short this time!”

“Maybe we should wait and come back to it, there’s a lot of other rides,” Chan helpfully suggests, trying to calm his overexcited boyfriend. The two of them looked really happy to be together, though, which made Jisung smile. Felix agreed and the group went off to their next ride, which was a lot tamer than the first one they went on. They rode quite a few before Seungmin mentioned that he was getting hungry for lunch, which meant a pit stop to one of the many food courts in the park.

The six boys tried to decide on a common thing to get, a whole pizza or a sub, but nobody could agree, so Minho and Jisung bought a combo meal with two burgers and fries and split the cost. Jisung left to find a table with their food while Minho went to get napkins, silverware, and some condiments. As he was sitting down, Jisung nearly got knocked over by Felix. Tailing right behind him was Seungmin, who also seemed to have a mission.

“How was it? You guys are sharing a meal and got to hold hands! Don’t think that I didn’t see how much you were blushing after the ride,” Felix rambled, setting his plate across from Jisung’s.

“My strategy worked right? You should know to trust me by now,” Seungmin added on, taking his own seat next to Felix. Jisung wasn’t sure how to respond, so he didn’t, munching on some fries instead. The rest of the group joined the table slowly, each with a variety of meals.

Minho, as expected, sat next to Jisung and took his burger out of the wrapping while Hyunjin settled into the spot next to the other dancer. Chan took a seat next to Felix and they ate in relative silence, a record in Jisung’s book. Once the boys were finished eating, with almost full bellies (the food was overpriced with small portions anyways), they made their way to the next segment of the park, which happened to be the most exciting portion.

“Look at that huge water slide!” Hyunjin gasped out, pointing to a large blue ride. The group rushed over to see a group riding down the massive ride, eyes all sparkling and excited. Jisung peeked over at Minho, worried that he’d be as anxious about the waterslide as the rollercoaster, but he seemed just as excited as Hyunjin.

They piled into the changing areas, packed full with other people trying to quickly change in order to get out to play in the water amidst the scorching summer heat. Jisung was one of the first out, able to squeeze his smaller frame around the larger men pushing to get in, and awkwardly waited near the exit for his friends.

Next out was Felix, dressed in green and yellow swim trunks. It suited his personality, for sure, and once he spotted Jisung he waddled over to where the boy was waiting, in his simple black trunks.

“Sungie!” Felix cried out, giving the other a large hug. Jisung was shocked, but naturally returned the hug. “I’m sorry I’ve been spending the whole day with Chan, you know I love you too.”

“I know that Lix,” Jisung laughs, allowing his arms to slip away from Felix’s waist. “You two are pretty cute together.”

“Aren’t we? I think we look better together than Hyunjin and Changbin do,” Felix hummed, crossing his arms. “By the way, I heard from Hyunjin that he got a new fuckbuddy.”

Jisung’s eyes go wide at Felix’s words, even though they were spoken in a whisper.

“Well, good for him I guess,” Jisung mumbles.

“It’s Seungmin.”

That makes Jisung’s eyes go even wider, if that’s even possible. “Wait- really? Why would he-”

“I think I need to get a new pair of swim trunks, these just don’t compliment my form anymore!” Hyunjin cries out loudly as he exits the changing room. Jisung and Felix quickly shut up, trying to seem unsuspicious.

“They look fine on you, Jin,” Felix replies, jabbing his fingers into the taller boy’s sides. Hyunjin whines even more, and soon the other 3 boys return from the dressing area. Jisung is too caught up in Felix’s words to give the others his full attention. ‘Why didn’t Seungmin tell me about that?’ Jisung runs through his head, a little hurt that Seungmin wouldn’t tell him about this huge event. 

Once the boys are lined up for the large water slide from earlier, Jisung finally breaks himself out of his thoughts and looks at the rest of the group. He failed to notice that Minho would be in swim trunks. With his abs on full display. Completely unapologetic. Jisung felt his brain short circuit and looked away quickly, as if he was burnt. He tried not to pay attention to the intrusive thoughts mentioning how nice it would be to run his fingers over those muscles.

‘You can think those thoughts now,’ Jisung’s mind helpfully supplied him. ‘You admitted you have a crush already, just accept it!’

‘Yes but not in public! And not when I’m standing right next to him!’

Jisung’s brain went back and forth, eyebrows furrowed enough to cause worry.

“Are you scared of water slides, Sung?” Minho asked quietly, trying not to bring attention to the other. He learned that Jisung is a complete introvert, who doesn’t like to be put on the spotlight, and it’s helped their dynamic greatly. Minho now tries to strike up a conversation first, letting Jisung bounce off of his words in a comfortable banter.

“No, ‘m just thinking,” Jisung mumbles. “My credit card payment is coming up again.”

“You have enough for it this time, right?” Minho asks worriedly. He knows that the younger has been working relentlessly, trying his best at Starbucks.

“I do! I do, it’s just, I realized my parents never sent me my monthly allowance. They haven’t contacted me since before the semester ended, either.” Although he was distracted by Minho’s body, his words weren’t a total lie- these thoughts happened to stick to the back of his mind and have caused a lot of anxiety lately.

“Ah, those assholes again,” Minho sighed out.

“Yeah, I know.” The boys were next in line, so Jisung knew he had to lighten the mood between them. “It’s ok though, I’m a little relieved that I haven’t heard from them.”

The next tube arrived and the six boys were able to comfortably fit into one, holding onto the handle bars. Hyunjin was laughing at Seungmin, who tripped while getting in, and Seungmin was rolling his eyes but with a small smile on his face. Jisung knew he had to talk to him on Tuesday, during their next shared shift.

The ride took off and the boys all started screaming, the tube swirling around the slide, making them nearly dizzy. Water splashed up into their faces and caused some laughter, but then they were dumped into a funnel, where the exit was a small hole in the center. They spun around and around, Felix even daring to throw his hands up in fun (and Chan getting nervous and grabbing one of his hands just in case). It wasn’t long before the ride was over, a short amount of fun for such a long wait time. But that’s what amusement parks are, after all.

They ended in a different area of the water park than where they started, and Felix noticed that there was a tower with a large bucket sitting on top.

“I think we should go there,” Felix said, taking a step in front of the group. He pointed towards the tower, where not too many children were playing. “It looks fun!”

There was a mysterious glint in the boy’s eyes, but Jisung paid no mind to it and followed the group to the pool and tower area. The water came up to his knees as they all went deep into the path leading to the tower, when Felix snapped. He splashed a large wave at Jisung’s face, leaving the boy soaked and shocked. He instinctively reached to splash the other back, but Felix jumped behind Hyunjin, which left the tall boy just as soaked. It quickly turned into a splash party, the group naturally breaking off into two teams to battle it out and see who could get the others soaked. It was Minho, Felix, and Hyunjin against Jisung, Chan, and Seungmin, which was almost unfair when you considered the physical stamina of three dance majors. That didn’t matter to their group though, and Jisung came up with an idea to win. He noticed stairs and ropes leading to the large bucket of water sitting on top, just waiting to tip. If he could make it up there, and give it a small push…

Jisung quietly snuck off, which wasn’t hard to do when the group was screaming and splashing water all over. He climbed a few steps to a platform that led him to a series of ropes, but he was physically stopped before he could continue. A large body stood in his way, accidentally bumping into the other man and falling down. Wincing, Jisung looked up and noticed that it was, in fact, Minho that stopped him dead in his tracks. ‘Not the first time that’s happened’ he thought.

Minho turned around at the impact, eyes going wide and instantly squatting and putting his hand out for help. Jisung saw the opportunity, though, and pulled the other boy down with him, jumping up to escape.

“I need to win this, sorry Minho!” Jisung yelled out, hands gripping at the worn out ropes. He could hear Minho’s laughter behind him, a bit scary considering the circumstances, but Jisung kept climbing until he reached a platform that led to a small maze. A little bit terrifying, considering Minho was right on his tail, but Jisung picked a path and stuck to it. To his disappointment, he came to a dead end, and when he went to turn around he walked right into Minho yet again. The older wrapped his arms tightly around Jisung and spun him so that he’d be disoriented, and then took off towards the exit.

His tactic worked, but only for a second, as Jisung tried not to think about the toned body hugging his and how that was the first hug they’d ever shared. He shook his head and continued on his mission, now desperate to beat the older boy.

Minho was just a few steps ahead of him, but that was a few steps too many. Running through his options quickly, he settled on one that would be the most efficient. Jisung was too small-framed to think about tackling Minho, too honest to be able to pull off a good lie, but was good at one thing.

Jisung ran to reach out and grab Minho’s arm, pulling him towards the younger. He brought his lips up to kiss Minho’s cheek, leaving the other just as stunned as Jisung was just a few seconds prior. Jisung used this time to push his way to the top, skipping steps to finally reach the top of the tower, securing his victory and pouring the bucket on the side of his opponents (Hyunjin and Felix never saw it coming). Before he could celebrate too long, Minho grabbed him and pulled him down one of the slides connecting to the pool below. Startled, Jisung gasped and held onto Minho’s arms tightly before they were dumped in the water, both boys laughing hard.

They climbed out of the pool, soaking wet, essentially defeating the purpose of their game, but too tired to care. The group ended up riding a few more water slides before finally changing out of their wet clothes and back into their normal wear.

“I think we deserve some ice cream after that battle,” Jisung says, speaking up first. The others agree, stopping at an ice cream truck dishing out cones in different flavors and toppings. Jisung goes for his normal strawberry with sprinkles, but Minho gets a chocolate coconut flavor that the younger just has to try, so they end up trading cones for a bit before switching back. Jisung notices Seungmin staring at them, giving him a look, but Jisung pretends to not know what he’s insinuating. Leave it to Seungmin to always have a plan, though.

“Since the sun is setting we should ride the gondolas, it’ll make for really great pictures,” Seungmin says, pointing at the carts rolling over the wires in the air.

“You just wanna update your Instagram,” Hyunjin mocks, but agrees with him anyway. As it just so happens to turn out, only two people can ride the gondolas at a time, which meant that Minho and Jisung were paired together, as usual. They got seated and took off slowly, Jisung actually enjoying the beautiful scenery that surrounded them. The colors of the sky were made up of fiery pinks and pale yellows, making for the most beautiful pictures. He was a bit too nervous to take his phone out so high in the air, so Jisung asked Minho to take some pictures for him. 

“I can’t believe you can just take your phone out so high up. Aren’t you afraid of dropping it at all?” Jisung scoffed.

“Not really, I could always just buy another one,” Minho responds, not bothered at Jisung’s comments as he continued taking pictures. As Jisung looked out towards the sky, Minho had a gut feeling that he had to sneak a couple of candids in, unsure of why but listening nonetheless. He muttered a small ‘cute’ under his breath, hoping that Jisung wouldn’t hear. Once the younger turned back towards Minho, the older boy resumed photographing the gorgeous sunset, “ooh”ing and “ahh”ing at the colors.

It was the slowest ride they went on, yet it somehow went by the quickest. Chan and Felix seemed to be in their own little world, talking to each other in hushed whispers, and Seungmin and Hyunjin were bickering over whose pictures turned out better.

“Mine captured the colors better for sure,” Hyunjin said with a huff.

“Sure, but mine had the better focus.”

Jisung just chuckled at the boys’ banter, which stemmed from such a history between the two. He could only hope that Seungmin was happy, and not just ignoring his feelings in order to be with Hyunjin.

“We should probably get going, it’s tough driving in the night,” Minho said with a yawn. Despite only talking to Jisung, the other boys agreed.

“We should get you a coffee then, I don’t want you falling asleep at the wheel,” Jisung laughed.

“Starbucks?” Minho asked. The boy seemed to be addicted to Starbucks now that Jisung got him hooked.

“Starbucks it is.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “By the way, Felix told me something on Saturday,” Jisung said cautiously, not wanting to sound accusatory.
> 
> “Felix says a lot of things,” Seungmin jokes, but listens to what Jisung has to say.
> 
> “Well, he told me that you and Hyunjin were, uh,” Jisung looks around, even though he knows they’re the only ones in the back room. “Hooking up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE note the additional tag I added! There will be homophobic words/actions in this chapter, and if that is triggering to you I would advise against reading the next couple of chapters. In any case, I hope you all enjoy the chapter (and don't hate me too much by the end)

“Shit!” Jisung exclaims, just one minute shy of missing his bus to work. The next one would arrive just after his shift started, so he started to panic.

“What do I do, what do I do,” he mumbled, scrolling through contacts before settling on the most obvious answer-

“Minho!”

The older was eating a sandwich in the kitchen, startled to see the boy he thought had left for work already.

“I missed my bus, is there any way you could drive me there? Pretty please?” Jisung begged, activating his puppy eyes and pouting. Minho, who is susceptible to Jisung’s whining, gave in and grabbed his keys.

“Thank you!” Jisung said, rushing to get into the passenger seat, as if that would make him teleport to work any quicker.

Minho followed the directions that Jisung gave him and landed him there just in time, only 10 minutes before his shift started.

“Thank you so much, you’re the best!” Jisung exclaimed before rushing off to Starbucks.

Jisung’s shift went similarly, the crowds were large considering the amount of campus tours that took place today. Jisung held up a good pace though, keeping up with the mountainous orders of different frappuccinos. Once it hit break time, he and Seungmin went to the back to cool off, leaving Jeongin and Yeji, one of the other closers, on the floor to take and make orders.

“I’ll just restock the milks here, you can take your break first,” Seungmin said, bringing up some non-dairy milk to refill the refrigerators with. It seemed like now was the perfect time to talk to the other about what Felix had told him on Saturday.

“By the way, Felix told me something on Saturday,” Jisung said cautiously, not wanting to sound accusatory.

“Felix says a lot of things,” Seungmin jokes, but listens to what Jisung has to say.

“Well, he told me that you and Hyunjin were, uh,” Jisung looks around, even though he knows they’re the only ones in the back room. “Hooking up.”

To Jisung’s surprise, Seungmin agrees.

“Yeah, we started hooking up a couple weeks ago,” he says nonchalantly. Jisung just looks with wide eyes at Seungmin who got offended at the assumption of anything going on between him and Hyunjin just mere weeks ago.

“Oh, okay,” Jisung says, trying to make his voice sound as chill as possible. It didn’t work, because Seungmin looked at him with a weird gaze.

“Why, is something wrong?” He asks, placing some of the milks into the fridge.

“I just uh,” Jisung starts, attempting to calm his nerves. “Didn’t know why you kept that from me. I thought we were pretty close.”

“I knew you weren’t exactly comfortable with the topic,” Seungmin shrugs, but his voice has an apologetic tone. “I’m sorry though, I’ll tell you about this stuff next time if it bothers you.”

“It’s ok,” Jisung says, happy that they could be so open about their feelings. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, Min.”

Seungmin turns around and gives Jisung a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I won’t, Sung.”

Seungmin drove Jisung home, which meant that he was back before Minho was. He decided to take a quick shower, before his phone started ringing, and the caller ID made him stop dead in his tracks.

Mom

Fingers shaking, he set his towels on the couch and sat down next to them, too afraid to be standing while talking to his mother. He let himself hit the accept button and gulped loudly while bringing the phone up to his ear.

“Jisung,” his mother stated sternly, not even giving the time for a greeting or a ‘how are you?’.

“Hi mom,” Jisung responded with a shaky voice.

“First you move out on your own and abandon your own parents,” his mother starts, and Jisung lets out a long sigh, not wanting to get into this argument again. “And then you go off and get married? Are you on fucking drugs or something?”

Jisung’s heart stops beating. Everything around him fades to nothing, and he can only feel the prominent beating of his heart against his ribcage. ‘How did she find out?’ he’s wondering, trying to think of a way to get out of this. He could tell his mother was pissed, resorting to swearing despite her Christian morals.

“I don’t-”

“No, don’t even think of lying to me again. I contacted your bank to ask about the absurd charge on your account, and they just happened to inform me of the marriage license you apparently bought? Are you absolutely out of your mind?”

This was getting to be too much, too overwhelming for Jisung, and he had no escape. There was no way out of it, so why not add fuel to the fire, right?

“This is why we never wanted to send you to college, I told your father that you’d be too irresponsible to-”

“Mom,” Jisung breathes out in a much too calm voice. His mother instantly shuts up, waiting to hear the explanation. “I know you’re upset, but I’m about to make you even more mad. I got married to a boy.”

There’s silence on the other end, and Jisung winces, thinking maybe he stepped over the line this time. He thought that maybe his mother would overlook it in her anger, maybe lecture him even.

“What did you just say?” His mother asks carefully.

“I said, I got married to a boy-” Jisung’s voice is cut off by the phone signalling the call had ended, a sour feeling pooling in the bottom of his stomach. ‘This isn’t good, this really isn’t good’ his mind unhelpfully repeated over and over again. Jisung just stared at his phone for some kind of answer, until he got one.

Mom:  
You have two days to get your things from home  
You’re no longer considered part of this family  
I don’t want to even see your face when you’re here, you absolutely disgust me Jisung

Jisung felt the tears in his heart before he felt them on his cheeks, his mind screaming at him to do something, anything, to fix the absolute mess he’d just created. But his body wouldn’t move, and instead he ended up curled up in a ball on the couch, sobbing and trying to get rid of the pain in his heart. He grabbed onto the front of his shirt, as if pulling on it would relieve the pain underneath. Jisung cried like that for a while, unsure of exactly how long, but he began to get a headache by the time he heard the door open. His eyes were too blurry to make out the figure, but he could tell it was Minho by the worried exclamation that left the older’s lips.

“Jisung!” Minho said, rushing over to Jisung’s side. He wondered briefly how awful he looked for Minho’s voice to take on such a concerned tone. Minho knelt in front of the couch, unsure of his boundaries.

“What happened? Talk to me,” Minho pleaded, trying to get Jisung to do anything other than hiccup or let out choked sobs. When he couldn’t get his words out, he started to sob more, so he did the only thing he could do and opened his arms as a signal for a hug. Minho sat up next to him and let the other boy wrap his arms around the older’s neck, not worried about the tears soaking the poor boy’s shirt. Minho let his hands rub Jisung’s back, as his own mother used to do when he would cry as a child. It seemed to help, because Jisung finally stopped crying after 15 minutes. Minho didn’t press though, knew better than to bombard the younger boy with questions, and just let himself be a source of comfort until Jisung was ready to speak up.

Jisung didn’t trust his own voice, so he pulled up his text messages with his mother and showed it to Minho with no words. He could see Minho’s face shift from concern to anger.

“Are they fucking kidding right now?”

Jisung lets out a shaky breath and nods, wiping at his face to clear off the tears. “Yeah,” he softly lets out. “I came out to her.”

Minho, in his rage, goes to dial his mom’s number. Jisung’s nervous, but it’s not like he hasn’t already ruined everything, so he watches with bated breath. To his surprise, the phone goes to voicemail, and Minho decides to give up, not trying to argue with a machine. He tosses the phone onto the couch between them and brings Jisung back into a hug. They sit like that for a while, Jisung with his arms around Minho’s neck while sitting to his right.

“I’m so sorry, Sung,” Minho whispers, trying to be as much help as possible, but unsure of how to make the smaller boy feel better. “Did you text your friends about this?”

“No, I didn’t get the chance,” Jisung says, pulling himself away from Minho and grabbing his phone. The first person he texts is Seungmin, who normally doesn’t respond fast anyways. Next, he texts Felix, who he’s sure will either respond immediately or within the next few minutes, depending on whether or not he’s with Chan.

“Do you want me to help you get your belongings tomorrow?” Minho asks carefully.

“Don’t you have work, though?” Jisung sniffs.

“I can call out, it’s no big deal,” Minho says, taking his own phone out of his pocket. “I’ll text my boss right now, she won’t mind.”

Jisung, being reminded of his own job, texts Jeongyeon to tell her about the situation and to take a few days off. It leaves a sour feeling in his gut, not giving them enough time to find a replacement, but Jeongyeon quickly responds that it’s okay. Not a minute after the text was sent, Felix’s name lashes on his screen.

“It’s Felix,” he tells Minho before accepting the call. He prepares for loud yelling, but instead Felix’s voice is quiet and concerned.

“Jisung, I’m so sorry,” Felix starts. “Were they being serious, or do you think they’ll get over it?”

“I’ve never seen my mom this angry in my life,” Jisung replies. He notices Minho getting off the couch, probably heading to the bathroom.

“Jesus, I can’t believe that they could just give up on their child, just like that,” Felix says. It doesn’t make Jisung feel any better, but it is nice to hear Felix’s voice. “Is- how did they find out?”

“My mom looked into my account and found the marriage license payment and started screaming at me, so I added fuel to the fire by telling her it was to a man.” Felix just whistles in response.

“Not my smartest idea, for sure,” Jisung chuckles in a low tone. They continue talking for a bit, Felix wanting to make sure that Jisung is okay and won’t do anything irrational, and Jisung finally hangs up. While on the phone he noticed that Minho started to cook a meal, so he shakily got up and made his way to the kitchen. He grabs a glass of water before sitting down, a headache forming from the tears he shed.

“What’re you making?” Jisung asks, trying to peer around Minho to see the dish sitting on the stove.

“Ramen.”

“Oh.”

“But the really spicy kind,” Minho says, turning the burner off and getting a serving spoon out. “I always eat spicy stuff when I’m stressed or need to forget about something.”

Jisung hums, letting Minho pour him some of the soup, and carefully takes a bite. It definitely has some heat to it, and just a few bites in Jisung has already forgotten about why he was so upset.

“What did you put in this?” Jisung asks between breaths, fanning off his tongue. Minho seems to be doing just fine, no indication of heat on his face.

“I whipped up a broth with chicken broth and red pepper paste, and added in one of the sauce packets from those spicy instant ramens,” Minho explains. “Why, is it too spicy? I thought I could add a little bit more…”

“No, it’s plenty spicy as it is.” Jisung quickly responded, wiping away the sweat from his brow. “How does this even help you relieve stress? It just makes me more stressed.”

“If you don’t like it I won’t make it again,” Minho shrugs.

“It’s just… a little too spicy for me,” Jisung admits, taking his last bite of the soup. Minho nods and brings both their dishes to the sink.

“It’s fine, you can go shower and I’ll clean up here.” Minho turns his back and starts washing the dishes, but Jisung lingers just a second longer.

“Would it be okay if we cuddled tonight?” Jisung asks timidly. This was a line they hadn’t crossed yet, but Jisung didn’t have any ulterior motives. He just really, really needed the comfort. Minho seemed to hear him just fine over the running water and nodded his head.

Jisung showered quickly, not wanting to be alone with his thoughts for very long, and got dressed into a sweater and boxers, his usual sleeping attire. The door to Minho’s room was slightly ajar, and the older boy was already laying in bed, scrolling on his phone. Jisung crept into the room, which grabbed Minho’s attention.

“Feel any better?” Minho asks, moving closer to the edge of his bed so that Jisung would have no problem fitting. The younger boy climbs into the bed and right into Minho’s arms, nodding slightly.

“Now I just feel exhausted,” he admits, resting his head on Minho’s chest. It’s nice, warm, and Jisung knows he’ll fall asleep quickly if he stays like this.

“It was a bad day, you deserve to feel exhausted,” Minho assures him, running his fingers through Jisung’s hair. It’s still a little damp, and gets his shirt wet, but Minho has no complaints. Jisung, as he expected, falls asleep within a matter of minutes, and Minho can’t help but look at the boy laying on his chest, heart exposed and vulnerable. It made his heart hurt, for having to experience such a terrible thing, and another reason that Minho refuses to delve into.

Minho feels just as exhausted as the younger, plugging his phone in and settling in next to Jisung, not used to having another person in his bed. He doesn’t exactly hate it, even likes the floral shampoo smell that permeates from Jisung’s hair, which relaxes him enough to fall into a deep slumber.

Minho wakes up before Jisung does, which doesn’t surprise him. Somehow, the two ended up spooning, Jisung the small spoon and Minho on the outside. Instead of worrying about their position, Minho sneaks away from the warmth that is Jisung’s body and grabs some clothes to shower before their travels today. He remembers Jisung mentioning that his house is a couple hours away, but considering it’s a Wednesday, he hopes that the traffic won’t be as bad. Considering it was going to be a long trip, Minho thought about making breakfast, but just as he began looking up pancake mix recipes, Jisung woke up. He sported a messy bedhead, topped off with red, puffy eyes. It was heartbreaking to witness the way Jisung’s normal energy was gone, replaced with a shell of a person who had zero hope for their future.

“Morning sunshine,” Minho said, trying to wake the younger out of his daze.

“Morning,” Jisung replied, shuffling his way to the table. “Are you making breakfast?”

“I was just about to start,” Minho states. “But I don’t have any of the ingredients and it’d be a lot quicker to just eat out.”

Jisung nods, excusing himself to get dressed. He returns dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, a little too casual for Jisung’s normal style. He brushes his hair quickly and Minho lends him a serum that will help with the puffiness of his eyes. After that, the two get buckled in and set off to a diner that Minho frequented regularly, known for its outrageous pancakes. They get settled in and order just a little too much food for the two of them, but Minho doesn’t mind. The food seems to give Jisung just a little bit more energy, just a little bit more life, which sparks a feeling that Minho refuses to acknowledge. After their fulfilling breakfast of waffles topped with nutella, strawberries, bananas, and a generous amount of whipped cream, the two took off towards Walmart and bought a few cardboard boxes, though neither of them dared to bring up the reason why.

“Why don’t you plug your phone in the aux?” Minho asks, handing Jisung the cord. It was an attempt to get Jisung to sing along to his favorite songs, something to act as a mood booster during their long ride together. Jisung does just that, putting one of his upbeat playlists on shuffle, and it does help the two to forget about where they’re going and what they’re doing. Jisung even ends up singing along to a few songs, even if his heart is heavy with anxiety.

The drive goes by about as fast as you could expect. When Minho pulls onto Jisung’s street, the younger starts to grip his seatbelt tightly. His house looks just as it always did, and to his luck, his mother was at home.

“I can’t do this, Minho,” Jisung states frantically, face void of any emotion. He’s breathing deep, and Minho can’t think of any other way to comfort him than physical contact. He grabs Jisung’s hand tightly, bringing it close to him.

“This is completely a reflection of their character, not yours,” Minho says, drawing Jisung’s attention away from the house looming in front of them. “I’m here.”

With that, the two step out and walk to the front door, Jisung not even bothering to knock. He simply walks in, knowing his mother hates to leave the door locked during the day, and holds Minho’s hand almost automatically. He wishes he did knock, though, because his mother is sitting on the couch in the living room, in plain view of Jisung and Minho. Hoping that she would ignore the two, Jisung tugs on Minho’s hand to lead them upstairs to his room. To his dismay, his mother doesn’t allow him to take even a single step.

“Are you kidding me Jisung? I can’t believe I’m seeing this with my own two eyes.” His mother stands up, brushing her blonde hair behind her shoulder. She’s angrier than Jisung’s ever seen her, even angrier than the time he broke the kitchen window while throwing a football around with his neighbor. She stands right in front of Jisung, the boy feeling inferior and so, so small in front of his mother. “You have the audacity to show your face around here again, but with your faggot of a boyfriend?”

Jisung sees her move towards Minho, and he instinctively moves the older boy behind him. If anyone was going to be hurt, it would be him, considering he’s the one who started this mess.

“Please leave him out of this, mom,” Jisung pleads, his voice weak. “You told me to get my things and get out, so I’m doing just that.”

“No, you came here to prove a point,” his mother snaps back, angry eyes landing on Minho yet again. “You brought him along just to show off how much of a sinner you are. You just wanted to flaunt that you hate your God, your family, your own mother. Han Jisung, I never raised you to be like this.”

“Clearly you don’t know Jisung, then,” Minho speaks out from behind Jisung, pulling the younger next to him this time. Jisung looks up at the older, shocked that he’s speaking out. “You really think he would do something to spite someone?”

His mother is appalled, scoffing and rolling her eyes at the boy next to her son. “As if you would know anything about my son.”

“I seem to know more than you do, at least.” Minho’s grip on his hand tightens. He pulls the two towards the stairs that they were headed for originally. “Come on, Jisung.”

They both walk up the stairs quickly, not bothering to look behind them. His mother says one last thing, one that makes him shiver.

“You’ll regret this, Han Jisung.”

Regardless, Jisung keeps walking and leads them to his room, closing the door and sinking to the floor. Minho doesn’t say a word, just sits next to him and lends a shoulder for the younger boy to cry. He’s shocked that Jisung even has the tears left to cry, after yesterday.

“I’m just so angry,” Jisung mutters. “How can you treat your own son like that?”

“They believe that anything outside of their world is a sin, and don’t give room for explanation,” Minho explains the best he can. Although it doesn’t fix the issue, it helps Jisung get up and start packing.

“Shoot, I forgot the boxes in the car,” Minho says. “I’ll go get them, you stay here.”

“I don’t want you to run into my mother.”

“I’m not worried, but she’d better hope she doesn’t run into me,” Minho says as he’s standing up. Jisung gives the older a small smile as he leaves the room. To Minho’s delight, it seems that Jisung’s mom left to go to another room, because he grabbed the boxes and walked back to Jisung’s room with no issue.

They began packing things up in silence, Minho occasionally asking what things he wants to keep or leave here. Jisung just blocks out his mother’s words and focuses on packing, not thinking about the reason for it.

“You used to play football?” Minho asks, confusion laced in his voice.

“My dad forced me,” Jisung explains sadly. “Thought it would make me gay if I didn’t play a sport, but here we are.”

Minho just chuckles and leaves the football award on the bedside table. He figures that Jisung wouldn’t mind having those memories forgotten. It doesn’t take long for the two to pack the remaining items, since a large chunk of it was already with Jisung at college. The boxes were mainly filled with photo albums, stuffed animals, old clothes, and some valuable pieces of Jisung’s history. Minho grabbed their last box and moved to leave, but he noticed that Jisung was having a hard time leaving. Saying goodbye to your childhood bedroom, house, and all the things inside must be difficult.

“Do you want a minute up here?” Minho asks, grabbing his keys from his pocket. “I can wait in the car.”

“No, that’s okay,” Jisung says, closing the door behind him. “This place has more bad memories than good memories.”

Once they’re packed in the car, Minho just has to ask.

“What about our apartment?”

“What do you mean, what about our apartment?” Jisung asks.

“Are there more good memories or more bad memories?”

“Good. All good.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She asked my bank about the charges on my account, and they told her about it,” Jisung says calmly.
> 
> “That’s… not normal, Jisung,” Seungmin says worriedly. “Like, my parents never ask where my money goes or look into my bank account. That sounds seriously toxic.”

Moving took a lot of energy out of both Jisung and Minho, but only one of them was lucky enough to get the day off work.

“You could just pretend you’re sick,” Jisung says as Minho puts his shoes on.

“I like my job, Jisung, it doesn’t feel like a chore to go in. Plus, I’m not as emotionally exhausted as you are.” Jisung just rolls his eyes, knowing how much Minho loves dancing to be away from it for too long. “And don’t forget to eat the leftover soup for lunch.”

“I know, I know,” Jisung replies, shifting his weight under the blankets. “What are you, my mom?”

“Far from it,” Minho laughed. “Bye, Sung.”

“See you later,” Jisung responded, and sunk back into his couch. They slept in their separate beds again, though Jisung wanted the comfort of another person again, he didn’t wanna make Minho uncomfortable. He knew the older wasn’t the most keen on physical affection, he did it to make Jisung comfortable.

With nothing to do, Jisung decided to wash a load of laundry and watch a new show that Felix excitedly recommended a week ago. When that got to be too boring, he played Animal Crossing. His thoughts began to be intruding, thoughts about what his mother said, thoughts about how that was probably the last time he’d ever see his mother. Thoughts of how he might never see his sweet neighbor who always baked him cookies again, since he’d have no reason to visit now.

Thoughts about how the last words his mother said to him were “you’ll regret this”.

The thoughts got to be too overwhelming, so he pulled up Instagram and tried to distract himself that way, until he got a knock on the door. Unsure of who it could be, other than Minho, Jisung opened the door just a crack to reveal Seungmin.

“Jisung!” Seungming exclaimed, bursting in to give the other boy a big hug. Jisung relished in the warm hug, especially after feeling so alone in his head. “You look better than I thought you would.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?” Jisung laughed, pulling the other boy inside. It felt nice to be able to joke around with Seungmin, like things were normal.

“I brought us icecream,” Seungmin says, setting the bag on the table next to Jisung’s bed. “So what exactly happened?”

“Well, my mom found out about the marriage license charge,” Jisung starts as they both dig into their respective ice creams. Seungmin picked up a raspberry and a chocolate fudge ice cream, not sure which one Jisung would like more, and typical Jisung chose the fruity flavor.

Seungmin gasps in response, his hand stopping while scooping a bite of ice cream. “How did that happen?”

“She asked my bank about the charges on my account, and they told her about it,” Jisung says calmly.

“That’s… not normal, Jisung,” Seungmin says worriedly. “Like, my parents never ask where my money goes or look into my bank account. That sounds seriously toxic.”

“Huh,” Jisung says, thinking. He knew that some things his parents did were questionable, but he chalked it up to being overprotective.

“Anyways, how did it get from that to your sexuality?”

“Oh, I told her while I was feeling bold.”

Seungmin’s jaw dropped open, words not sounding like Jisung at all. “So you just… told your homophobic mother that you’re gay because… you felt bold? Jisung that doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well, she cornered me when asking about the marriage license. I didn’t have any excuse or way to get out of it, so I figured may as well just add fuel to the fire.”

“You’re a lot more impulsive than I thought.”

“Regardless, she didn’t take it well.”

“Clearly.”

“She gave me two days to move my things out, hence the copious amounts of boxes in this living room.” Jisung says way too casually, trying to block out his feelings.

“Did you see her when you were getting your stuff?” Seungmin questions.

“Of course, she wasn’t happy at all. She started screaming that, since I brought Minho with me, I was just trying to show off how much I hate my family and god,” Jisung scoffs, taking another bite of ice cream.

“Why does she care so much, though? When I came out to my parents, they just shrugged and told me that whoever I love is my own business.” Seungmin’s story rubbed Jisung the wrong way, but he kept quiet.

“I don’t know, it’s all very stressful and I haven’t had any clear thoughts lately,” Jisung admits.

“Have you figured out where you’re going to be keeping all your stuff?” Seungmin asks out of the blue.

“Not at all.”

Seungmin just hums in response, giving Jisung a little bit of room to think and breathe. They end up finishing their cups of ice cream and start showing each other Tik Toks that bring smiles to each of their faces.

It isn’t long before Seungmin leaves, his parents needing him to pick up groceries for dinner tonight. Seungmin promises to visit again soon, and Jisung just smiles back, grateful to have such an amazing support system during this time.

It makes him start to reminisce, thinking about his “support” system back home. Living in the same town all his life, Jisung never grew out of his title as the weird kid. His speech impediment stopped him from making friends in elementary school, and stopped him from even talking in middle school. He was always seen as a loner, a title he wore with confidence. It wasn’t the life he exactly wanted, but the one he was given, and it wasn’t worth the effort to prove to the snobby rich kids how he’s changed.

So when Felix reached out to him excitedly when they were matched to become roommates, Jisung knew. He knew that this was going to be the life he created, not the one that was given to him. Jisung swore to leave his past behind and not look back twice. He just didn’t expect that vow to be so impactful, causing him to leave even his toxic family behind.

In the midst of his thoughts, Minho returned home from the studio.

“It looks like you’ve hardly left your spot on the couch,” Minho says, tossing his bag to the side.

“Well, kinda,” Jisung replies. “Seungmin brought ice cream over and we just sat here and talked all day.”

“Get dressed, we’re going out.” Minho didn’t seem to be too fond of the answer that Jisung gave.

“Where?” Jisung asks.

“Just make sure you’re wearing comfy clothes,” is all Minho says before going to the bathroom. Jisung just huffs, forcing himself to get up and changed into sweatpants and a black t-shirt. They both meet at the door, pull their shoes on, and head out.

“Why won’t you just tell me where we’re going?” Jisung whines, putting his seatbelt on. The harsh fabric drags over his exposed arms, making him more irritated than he already is. It’s not Minho’s fault at all, just the overwhelming emotions he’s been feeling these last couple of days.

“Because we’ll be there soon,” Minho replies cooly, rolling his window down. Jisung tries to ignore his irrational urge to cry and focuses on the chilling breeze running through his hair instead. The sun is still out, but it doesn’t feel like it.

They pull into a parking lot for a building that Jisung doesn’t recognize, but the words “Star High Dance Studio” give enough of a clue for him to know that they’re at Minho’s dance studio. The lights are turned off and there’s no other cars there, just the two of them.

“Did you forget something here?” Jisung asks, confused.

“Nope, we’re dancing,” Minho says, getting out of the car. Jisung slowly complies, not having much energy after only eating ice cream that day. Minho leads them to a room on the left, where he flicks the lights on and everything comes to life.

“Start stretching, I’ll get the phone hooked up,” Minho says, waving his hand for Jisung to sit wherever. Jisung’s bones ache and creak after not being used all day. Minho puts on a playlist for them to start stretching to, and then they hop right into a new dance that Minho is teaching one of his classes.

“First you’re just gonna reach with your right hand,” Minho explains. “And lean into it. Make it look like you’re being pulled.”

Minho’s directions are a lot more clear cut than Felix’s would be, the younger typically just showing Jisung physically how to perform rather than using words. Minho’s method helped, though, because it felt like a story was playing out rather than just a few dance moves thrown together. After learning and dancing for a good hour, Jisung finally stopped to take a water break.

“I’ll grab some water from the office, be right back,” Minho said before exiting the practice room. While sitting against the glass, Jisung realized that he hadn’t thought of his mother once while here. It helped to have his mind taken off the subject, and his mood improved as a result.

Minho returned with two bottles of water in hand, tossing one to Jisung and drinking one himself. He pushed his bangs away from his forehead and was breathing heavily, just as tired as Jisung was. They sit in a comfortable silence, just trying to catch their breath, before Minho speaks up.

“Do you wanna talk about things?”

Jisung nods slowly, like he’s unsure of the answer himself.

“I… really don’t hate my mom,” Jisung admits, playing with the paper on the bottle. “Like, I know I should, with everything she’s done and said but… I just can’t bring myself to hate her.”

Minho stays quiet, letting Jisung get all his thoughts out.

“And it’s only really hitting me now that my parents’ behavior towards me has always been really toxic and unhealthy, and I don’t even know how to process that so that I don’t end up the same way as them.”

“Do you think you will become like them?”

“I like to think that I won’t, but-”

“Then it’s not a problem you need to deal with. If you recognize their behavior as toxic, you’re already doing better than them, Jisung.”

Jisung doesn’t respond and thinks about Minho’s words. ‘He’s right, that’s something to dig up another day,’ his mind helpfully suggests.

“I also have no idea where to keep my things,” Jisung sighs out, leaning his head against the cool glass behind him. “Or where I’ll end up going on breaks. And on top of that, I’ll have to pay my own college bill now. Fuck, I’m so fucked, Minho.”

Jisung lets a tear escape, though he doesn’t have many left. He wipes it away as quickly as it came, embarrassed to be letting all this out to Minho while sober.

“I’d give you a hug but we’re both really sweaty,” Minho chuckles. “But you’re not fucked at all, Jisung. Look where you are right now, living with me on break, and you have a job. You’ll just have to save a little bit and put it towards your tuition.”

“For now, but what happens for Christmas? For next summer?” Jisung asks desperately. “I know you only let me stay with you because you felt guilty about the marriage thing.”

Minho is quiet for a second before he responds. “At first… yes, that was true. But now, you’re one of my closest friends, Sung, you think I’d let you just crash and burn like that?”

Jisung just shrugs, unsure of what he’s thinking at this point.

“I do have an idea, but it’s a little crazy and risky,” Minho states, fingers picking at the skin around his nails.

“Can’t be any riskier than coming out to your homophobic parents,” Jisung laughs in response.

“I thought that we could keep your things at my mom’s house-”

“But won’t she questi-”

“And introduce you to her as my boyfriend who's been kicked out.”

That shuts Jisung up for sure.

His head quickly snaps to his left to look at Minho, unsure if the older is serious or just joking right now. It doesn’t seem like he’s lying, but Jisung doesn’t understand why.

“I thought that you couldn’t lie to your mother?” Jisung carefully asks, shifting his body to turn towards the other. His heart is pounding, mainly from the word “boyfriends” slipping out of the older’s mouth.

“I feel like if my two choices are to lie to my mom or let you become homeless and… who knows what could happen to you, I’ll lie to my mom. It’s not like it’s a big lie, I can really just play it off and come clean after all this has blown over…”

Jisung isn’t sure that he’s ever seen Minho look so nervous at a suggestion he made, but it makes Jisung’s heart pound and his eyes tear up a little at the confession. His feelings aside, Minho was one of the few people he felt he could tell everything to and not regret it at all. Losing Minho would be like losing the staple to his support system.

“If that’s something that you’re willing to do, I’d be eternally grateful,” Jisung says wholeheartedly. Minho just nods, pulling his phone out to shoot his mother a text.

“Do you have Saturday off?” Minho asks, glancing up from his phone. “My mom wants to have dinner with both of us.”

Jisung gulps, not realizing that he’d actually have to meet Minho’s mother. It makes sense, but the thought never crossed his mind. He always spoke so highly of her, and Jisung is worried that he’d mess something up, say something wrong, or something equally as bad.

“Yeah, I got the rest of my shifts covered until Saturday,” Jisung replies.

“Alright, she wants to know if there’s a dish you’d like to make?” Minho asks with a chuckle in his voice.

“Um… anything really is fine, I’m not picky.”

“I’ll tell her to make a shrimp dish that I love, I think you’ll like it.”

“Does your mom always do that?” Jisung wonders aloud.

“Yeah of course, any company we have over gets to pick dinner,” Minho says while typing out a message on his phone. Jisung is a little stunned at that, as his parents would never go to such lengths for a guest, if they were even allowed.

“Alright, we have a dinner date for Saturday.” Minho laughs and Jisung laughs right along with him, though Minho’s words make his heart flutter in his chest.

‘Not the time for that,’ Jisung thinks.

‘When is the time for it, then?’

Jisung ignores those thoughts and suggests that they finish the choreography before it gets too late. Minho agrees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have a plan!! I hope everyone was able to enjoy this chapter a little more than the last!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If you keep acting like that she’s gonna know something’s up,” Minho says, way too calm for Jisung’s liking.
> 
> “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had to act as someone’s boyfriend just to infiltrate their house to put my belongings in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andddd we get to meet Minho's mother this chapter!! Hope everyone enjoys!

Saturday rolls around too quickly for Jisung’s liking, but he gets dressed up in a nice shirt and black jeans regardless. Minho is dressed in full black, a jean jacket tied around his waist “for the aesthetic”.

(“I don’t think you actually know how to use that phrase”

“I think you need to be quiet and let me enjoy this”

“Sure thing, grandpa”)

Unknown to Jisung, Minho’s mother’s house is only a 30 minute drive away. The drive feels like the shortest ride ever, shortened by Jisung’s nerves.

“If you keep acting like that she’s gonna know something’s up,” Minho says, way too calm for Jisung’s liking.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had to act as someone’s boyfriend just to infiltrate their house to put my belongings in.” Minho bursts out laughing at Jisung’s outlandish ideas.

“Just act like normal, with a bit more hand holding. Really, she’s going to love you, but not if you act like that.”

Jisung tries his best to calm down and think of something else, but no other thoughts come to mind. They pull into a small driveway, where a small black car sits. The tan house isn’t large, but it isn’t small, just the right size for a mom and her son.

“Breathe Jisung. We’re meeting my mother, not going to war.” This makes Jisung snort, and helps to loosen his nerves just the tiniest bit before they knock on the front door. Soon, Minho’s mother opens the door. She has a large smile on her face, arms wrapping tightly around her son. It’s something he hardly ever saw as a child.

“Mom, this is Jisung,” Minho explains once they’re pulled apart.

“Jisung, it’s so nice to meet you!” his mother exclaims, even pulling Jisung in for a hug. She’s small but warm, and her bright attitude has Jisung relaxing instantly.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Ms. Lee,” Jisung replies with a smile.

“Oh please, just call me Jiyoung,” she insists, letting one of her hands rest on Jisung’s shoulder. “But come in, come in! No need for you boys to get burnt under that sun.”

Jisung walks in alongside Minho, whose hand he’s now holding. It feels warm and gives him reassurance, even if the reason behind it isn’t as pure. Once in the entrance, Jisung takes note of the expressive interior, very contrary to Minho’s own but with a similar vibe that Jisung finds hard to describe. There are plants hanging from the windows, a mismatched brown and black couch set, and a collection of crystals scattered around on various surfaces. And, to top it off, a soft-looking Siamese cat that sits on the TV stand, tail swishing and eyes watching carefully. Jisung takes instant notice of the cat, and makes a mental note to pet it when he gets the chance. Turns out he doesn’t have to wait very long.

“How’s my little Dori been, hm?” Minho asks in a high pitched voice, cooing at the now-happy looking feline. His hands run over the smooth fur, and she purrs along with excitement. Minho’s eyes light up so bright, and Jisung feels like this is the happiest he’s ever seen the older. He doesn’t realize a smile has crept up on him without his permission, but he also extends a hand to pet Dori. She’s just as soft as he imagined, so he lets his hand roam across her back.

“She’s been alright, although a little bit too outgoing lately. I let her outside about a week ago and she came back with a dead bird, I nearly fainted,” Minho’s mother says with a defeated sigh, like this is expected for such a cat as her son’s.

“Good to know he’s still as mischievous as ever,” Minho laughs, giving one last pat before following his mother to the kitchen. Jisung whispers a small ‘goodbye’ before following as well.

“So Jisung, what’re you majoring in? Minho didn’t tell me anything about you,” she asks, pulling what seems to be a seafood lasagna from the oven.

“I’m a linguistics major,” he replies, ready to explain the term since most people don’t understand what it means anyways.

“Oh that’s great! My brother studied linguistics and ended up teaching English in France, he loved it,” she says, cutting up the lasagna and serving it onto some plates she had set out for the three.

“I’m not nearly that ambitious, I’m just trying to become a speech therapist,” Jisung jokes, carefully taking the plate that Minho’s mother offers him. Minho sets his own plate down first and pulls the chair out for Jisung, which makes his heart ache terribly. If he weren’t here, sitting in his crush’s house, eating dinner with his mother, he might’ve even cried at the insignificant gesture.

“Nothing wrong with that, working with children is ambitious in its own. Whether you raise them or work with them, it’s a hefty task. I mean, even Minho had his moments,” she jokes, setting her own plate down. They all grab some silverware and dig in, Jisung’s eyes widening at the taste.

“This is amazing!” he says between bites, doing his best not to devour the whole plate in two bites.

“I guess I didn’t get my cooking skills from you, mom, he doesn’t like my cooking this much,” Minho mumbles, but eats the food just as enthusiastically as Jisung. Minho’s mom laughs delightedly, happy that Jisung is enjoying her food.

“Well you’ve never made anything like this before. Wait, can you send us this recipe?” Jisung asks excitedly.

“Jisung we can’t afford all this seafood for just one-”

“Of course sweetie, do you want me to send it over text?” Minho’s mother replies, speaking right over her son. Jisung giggles as Minho rolls his eyes, and excitedly gives her his number to send the recipe to. They all finish their meals happily, tummies stuffed with delicious food. Once they finished, though, Minho’s mom asks a question that makes his stomach drop.

“I know better than to ask, but how did you two meet? I’m just too curious.”

They both didn’t even think to discuss their story, to plan ahead. Jisung gulped and his eyes moved to focus on Minho, hoping for him to save the day.

“Ah, you remember my dance friend Felix?” Minho ask and his mother nods in response. “Hyunjin had a small party for some friends just before finals, and Felix brought Jisung along, since they’re roommates.”

“Ahh,” she replies, sitting back in her seat. “But you don’t seem like the party type, Jisung.”

“I’m not,” he responds quickly, shaking his head in denial. “Felix is just very persuasive, and I was really stressed out from finals.”

His mother nods in understanding, and then suggests that they move to talk in the living room, where they could relax comfortably. Jisung and Minho sit together, obviously, and Minho whispers to Jisung to lay a leg over his own while his mother is making tea in the kitchen. Jisung is reluctant, but listens to the older boy regardless. Minho ends up resting his hands on Jisung’s leg, and Jisung leans into Minho’s side. It’s unsurprisingly comfortable, and Jisung can feel himself getting drowsy at the action, if it weren’t for the electric touch of Minho’s hands on his knee.

Once Minho’s mom returns, they continue to talk, sometimes about Jisung and sometimes about drama in Minho’s family, about crazy uncles with felonies and old photo books that his mother found while cleaning the attic.

“Right, I completely forgot! Jisung, you need a place to store your belongings?” Minho’s mother asks in a sympathetic tone. It still hasn’t really sunk in, especially with all these new situations playing out, but the statement doesn’t hurt as much as he expected- not with Minho so snug at his side.

“Um, y-yeah,” he stutters out, still nervous to ask for such a large favor from such a sweet person. “My parents kicked me out because they found out about my sexuality, so I’ve just kept my things at our- er, Minho’s apartment for now, but it’s pretty cluttered. If it’s too much to ask it’s ok, I can find another friend to-”

“No no no, you can absolutely keep your things here. It’s just repulsive that a mother could kick her own flesh and blood out for something they can’t control,” his mother says with a disgusted look on her face. Her words make Jisung relax even further, feeling like things will maybe work out for the first time in the last handful of days.

“It’s almost fate though, since I cleaned out the attic just a couple days before Minho texted me,” she laughs, taking a sip of her tea. That word sticks with him- fate. 

“My mom thinks everything is fate,” Minho explains with a chuckle. “I guess she’s right sometimes.”

It didn’t register in Jisung’s head that Minho’s smile was directed at him, that those words were directed at him, that the idea of fate- it was all directed at him. Jisung immediately grew hot, his ears and cheeks turning a bright red, and Minho just laughed at his flustered reaction, though a bit delayed.

“I’ll be right back, just heading to the bathroom,” Minho states, softly letting Jisung’s leg rest on the couch instead of his own leg. It’s a bit more nerve-wracking without Minho there to keep conversation going, but Jisung does his best to keep his cool. 

Jisung nearly jumps when Minho’s mom’s hand lands on his own, her eyes full of emotion.

“I’m really happy that Minho is trying to love again,” his mother confesses, her voice low. “Ever since the divorce, he hasn’t shown an interest in love, and it really broke my heart.”

Jisung just stares back with large eyes, but his heart hurts for the boy whose own mother is desperate for him to fall in love.

“I’ll do my best to make him happy,” Jisung reassures her.

“I have no doubt about that, sweetheart,” she laughs, leaning back and letting her hands come back to the teacup, surely cold by now. “He looks very happy next to you, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Just then, Minho returns from the bathroom, and is reluctant to mention that it’s getting late, that they should head home before long. 

“You’re sure you can’t spend the night?” his mother asks at the door as they’re leaving. “I just adore Jisung, I don’t want to send him home.”

“No we can’t, Jisung has work tomorrow,” Minho regretfully responds. “He’ll be in good hands anyways, mom.”

They all hug and say their final goodbyes before piling into the car. Jisung lets out a long sigh, and Minho asks how he’s feeling. They talk a bit about Minho’s mom, but then a question arises in Jisung’s mind.

“Um, not to pry, but why did your mom thank me for dating you?” Jisung asks. Minho scoffs in return.

“Does she have that little faith in me? I should just call her now and-”

“Not like that, but she acted like you’d never love someone in your life,” Jisung rephrases. “She said that it had something to do with the divorce.”

That quieted Minho down, to the point where Jisung thought that he might’ve crossed a line, but he did respond after a beat of silence.

“My father cheated on my mother when I was young,” Minho starts. “At first it wasn’t so obvious, but I came to realize that the man I looked up to was nothing more than a lying piece of scum. I remember telling my mom, but she just smiled back and told me that she already knew. He cheated multiple times, but my mom never fought back, just accepted it as something lacking on her end.”

Jisung tenses up, but apologizes for bringing up such a sensitive topic. The rest of the ride home is silent, with only the small buzz of the radio to keep them company.

Once they pull into the driveway of the apartment, they notice a car parked out front that isn’t familiar to Jisung or Minho. It doesn’t take long to notice, though, because Felix soon shoots out of the car, heading straight for Jisung. He doesn’t say a word, just wraps his arms tightly around Jisung’s waist, burying his face into the other’s neck.

“Wh- what are you doing here, Lix?” Jisung asks, puzzled. He knows that Felix lives about 30 minutes away from their apartment and doesn’t drive, so how did he even…

“Chan drove me, I just had to come make sure you’re okay,” Felix explained. “One sec.”

He rushes back over to Chan’s car and grabs a bag, drops a kiss on his boyfriend’s lips, and rushes back over to where Jisung and Minho stand shell-shocked.

“I’m spending the night,” Felix states, making a move to start up the stairs to their apartment. They notice Chan’s car driving away, so Jisung and Minho just share a look and shrug, following Felix up to the apartment. It’s useless to argue against the freckled boy, both knowing they’d lose in the long run, so they let Felix into the apartment.

“I have to work tomorrow, Felix, so I can’t spend the whole day with you,” Jisung informs him.

“That’s okay, but we haven’t talked in so long,” Felix complains, flopping onto the couch.

“We literally saw each other last weekend,” Jisung counters, but sits down next to him regardless.

“We saw each other, but we hardly talked,” Felix argues. Minho took a seat right next to Felix, squishing the three together but not one of them complaining. “By the way, where were you guys? I thought you’d be here when I got here but I waited for a good hour before you came home.”

“We visited my mom,” Minho explains quickly. “We’re gonna keep Jisung’s belongings at her house for now.”

“Aha,” Felix says, but Jisung can tell he still has questions. “How are you feeling, Sung?”

“Pretty numb,” Jisung admits. “It doesn’t feel real, and I try not to think about it.”

The group starts talking a little more, before Felix pipes up with another interesting question.

“Not to like, put more pressure on,” Felix starts, which makes Jisung’s blood pressure spike. “But have you guys figured out the divorce thing? It’s kinda what caused this whole mess.”

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Jisung says, expecting the conversation to end there.

“It’s not really at the top of our priorities right now,” Minho laughs in response. Felix just nods, but then decides he’s tired enough to fall asleep.

“Where am I sleeping?” Felix asks, leaning his head against Jisung’s shoulder.

“Well, I guess you could share the bed with Minho,” Jisung helpfully supplies.

“You and Felix can have the bed, I’ll sleep on the couch,” Minho says to Jisung. The younger tries to hide his surprise by helping Felix move his bag to Minho’s room. They all say their “goodnight”s and “see you in the morning”s as Jisung closes the door, which leaves Felix looking at Jisung with accusatory eyes.

“So-”

“Wait,” Jisung stops him from saying anything before he turns the window fan on, enough noise to drown out whatever Felix wants to say.

“You’re telling me that everything here is platonic,” Felix states. “He introduced you to his mom, is letting you store your things there, and has just forgotten about the divorce? Jisung-”

“I don’t want to get my hopes up,” Jisung blurts out, resting his head against the soft pillows. “After everything that’s happened to me, I can’t afford to get my hopes up.”

“I know that, Sung, but you have to admit that his behavior around you is a lot more different from normal. As an outsider, I can clearly see-”

“Do you know what his mom told me?” Jisung interrupted. His eyes were turned toward the ceiling rather than the boy laying next to him. “She thanked me for helping Minho love again. He told me about how his father continuously cheated on his mother, and they both had to endure it for who knows how long. He’s hurt, Felix, and I don’t think I’ll be the one to cure him of that.”

Felix stays silent at that, and Jisung is worried that he was a little bit too harsh.

“I know you’re just trying to help, I’m sorry,” Jisung says, reaching out to hug Felix. He accepts the hug, and they lay there for a bit, just breathing in the comfortableness of each other.

“I know that you think feelings will just mess everything up,” Felix speaks up. “But don’t you think it’ll actually help to get those feelings out there and have them reciprocated?”

“And if they’re not?”

“They are, Sung, trust me.”

“You also told me to trust you when we took the bus an hour away and got lost and had a nice lady point us towards the bus stop.”

“Shut up, I’m serious about this.”

“I’m sure you are,” Jisung giggles, turning around in bed to let Felix be the big spoon.

“Oh! By the way,” Felix says, a little too enthusiastic this late at night. “I got more info on the Seungmin and Hyunjin situation.”

This makes Jisung’s ears perk up, remembering his conversation with Seungmin just a few days ago- wow, it feels like a lot longer with all that’s been going on.

“Really?” Jisung asks excitedly. “He told me that he and Hyunjin were hooking up but didn’t go into detail- Changbin knows about it, right?”

“Mhm, but even more than that,” Felix states. “Hyunjin’s been confiding in me about this, so you can’t tell Seungmin.”

“I won’t, I won’t,” Jisung promises.

“Changbin knows, obviously, but he’s actually been joining them both and, you know, having threesomes.”

“How does that pertain-”

“That never happened when Hyunjin and I were hooking up, Changbin was strictly off limits. Something’s going on with the three of them, but I’m not trying to pry into their lives.”

“Interesting,” Jisung mumbles, deep in thought. He really, really, really doesn’t want to see his friend getting hurt by Hyunjin, but it seems like there may be something more to it now.

“So you’re thinking they might do like, polyamory or something?” Jisung asks.

“I don’t want to assume anything, I’m just connecting the dots that Hyunjin gives me. But Hyunjin is terrible at communicating his feelings, so it may take them a while to reach an understanding there.”

“I hope no one gets hurt in that mess,” Jisung sighs.

“Someone will, but I think it’ll be worth the outcome. Kinda like fate, you know?”

Ah, there was that word again. “Fate”.

“Felix,” Jisung asks. “Do you think it’s fate that Minho and I met like this?”

“It’s hard to say, but I think you know the answer,” Felix replies. “How else could you explain the bond between you two?”

“Mhm. Goodnight, Lix.” Jisung diverts, but his mind is running a million miles a minute. Just like the support system he receives from his coworkers, like the off-chance at getting an apartment with Minho- at accidentally marrying a boy, only to have him be one of the few people helping him get through being disowned by his parents. It only clicks, settles into place, that maybe it was fate for him and Minho to meet in the way they did.

“Goodnight, Sung.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re married and never told us?” Woojin nearly screams.
> 
> “It was an accident, we really aren’t like, married,” Jisung responds, trying to cover up the embarrassing start to his and Minho’s friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pleaseeee note the chapter number now! I have finished writing this story and have all the plans for them laid out, so sit tight and enjoy the chapter!

Jisung is a bit anxious to return to work, especially after he hadn’t shown up for nearly a week. The worry that his coworkers would be angry, or even forget about him crossed his mind once or twice on his bus ride there, especially with the weather being as gloomy as it was. It wasn’t quite raining yet, just a few sprinkles here and there, but there was a promise of something bigger coming, so Jisung clutched his umbrella just a little bit tighter.

Minho had offered to drive Jisung to work, but Jisung insisted that he get used to his normal schedule. Felix pouted a lot as Jisung left, but ultimately gave him a big hug and told him that he loves Jisung lots. Felix decided to follow Minho to his studio later that day, even though it was his day off, and learn some choreography from each other. Jisung could tell that Minho appreciated it, and it was understandable. The last week had been rough on both of them, not just Jisung.

Once Jisung got to Starbucks, he noticed it was packed, and snuck to the back room before any of his coworkers could see him. Relieved at making it to work and not getting soaked, Jisung sighed and set his bag down. When he did, he noticed a cardboard box in the middle of the table, with a note underneath that said “for Jisung”. Intrigued, the boy opened the top and noticed a letter on top of some goodies.

Jisung,  
We hope that everything is okay! The team all collected some treats for you, we hope you’re feeling better!   
Love, your Starbucks team!

Underneath was a pile of lovely things- a box of chocolates, a pair of fuzzy socks (where did they find those in the summer?), some strawberry pineapple juice (surely from Seungmin), and a group of gift cards for various places. Unwillingly, Jisung teared up, touched at the thoughtful gesture from his coworkers. Just as he was wiping away at the unshed tears, Jeongin burst into the back room holding an iced coffee and wearing a smile.

“Jisung!” he exclaimed, setting his coffee down and giving the older boy a hug. “How’re you feeling?”

“A bit better,” Jisung admitted. “It feels good to be back.”

“It feels like so much happened while you were gone! Woojin spilt dirty mop water all over the floor on Thursday, and then on Friday we realized that someone stole one of our chairs-”

“How did they even get away with it?”

“No clue, like how do you just walk out with a chair?”

The two talked for the duration of Jeongin’s break, mainly on crazy customers and the weird drink combinations they got. It felt like returning home to family. 

Despite being busy, Jisung kept up with the flow of customers well. He joked about forgetting the recipes after being away for so long, but managed to make every drink with no issue. Once they were closed, Woojin decided to make an executive decision for Jisung and Jeongin to go out to a new soup place just off campus. Apparently a close friend of Woojin worked there, and Jisung didn’t have any other plans for a Sunday night, so he agreed to tag along.

The restaurant was a hole in the wall, something you’d only stumble upon by word of mouth. Despite having a discreet exterior, the inside was decorated beautifully with strong lights and candles at each table. They were seated instantly, Woojin taking a moment to go say hi to his friend working in the kitchen. Jisung skimmed over the menu, his eyes catching on a “super spicy seafood noodle soup”. He decided to take up Minho’s word on spicy things reducing stress, and ordered a serving for himself. The other two just decided on something simple, a broccoli and cheddar for Jeongin and a clam chowder for Woojin.

The three just talked amongst themselves happily, being the first outing they’ve had together. It was all happy, until Woojin brought up the topic Jisung was so heavily avoiding.

“Jeongyeon didn’t say much about why you called out, she just said that you were going through a hard time. Is everything okay?” Woojin asked. The question would never get easier to answer, as it stung in his chest, but Jisung could at least get his words out without choking up.

“My parents actually disowned me,” Jisung said with a chuckle, still a little uncomfortable to be talking about such a topic with someone other than Minho, Felix, or Seungmin. Woojin and Jeongin’s eyes instantly flew open wide, and Jisung could practically see the apologies on their tongues. “No need to apologize, I’m doing alright now. But I guess I’ll be working at Starbucks a little longer than I planned to.”

“You have a place to stay, right?” Woojin worried aloud. “Because I think I could convince my parents to let you stay with us for some time-”

“I do,” Jisung assured the older. “I’m living with a friend of mine at his apartment, have been since the beginning of summer.”

“Isn’t that the one you accidentally married?” Jeongin asked innocently. Jisung’s eyes went wide and looked confused at how the younger found that out. “Sorry, Seungmin can’t keep his mouth shut.”

“You’re married and never told us?” Woojin nearly screams.

“It was an accident, we really aren’t like, married,” Jisung responds, trying to cover up the embarrassing start to his and Minho’s friendship. “We just got drunk and stuff happened. But we’re close friends now because of it.”

Woojin just shook his head in disbelief and let his head rest in his hands. “Kids these days, I swear.”

“You’re only three years older,” Jisung replies with a laugh.

By then, their soups come out, and Jisung’s spicy soup manages to eliminate the small pang in his heart caused from their conversation earlier. It’s just spicy enough for Jisung, not as bad as when Minho made them ramen, but enough to make him focus on the burning rather than his family. It’s so delicious that Jisung texts Minho to ask if he’s already eaten dinner, excited to bring him some good food home.

Minho:  
No not yet

Jisung:  
Good, don’t  
I’ve got a surprise

Minho:  
Are you trying to starve me?

Jisung just laughs and pockets his phone, finishing up the rest of his soup quickly and asking the waitress for another dish to go. They all pay for their bills separately and head out, Woojin dropping Jeongin off first and then Jisung, after plugging in his phone for directions, of course. Jisung thanks Woojin for the ride, and Woojin sets a hand on Jisung’s knee.

“If you need anything, let me know, okay?” Don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry-

“I will, thank you,” Jisung smiles in return.

Right as Jisung walks in the door he sighs, wanting to just collapse right there. Going from socializing with only Minho to hundreds of customers in a day really takes a toll on such an introvert, but Jisung decides he has to get the soup to Minho before collapsing.

“Minho! Your surprise is here!” Jisung exclaims, setting the plastic bag on the kitchen table. Minho peeks his head out from his bedroom, eyes locking on the plastic bag.

“What’s this?” he asks, reaching to take the to-go container out.

“My coworkers and I went to this really good soup restaurant, and I thought you’d like this one. It’s really spicy.” Jisung leaves for a minute just to grab some pajamas in order to rinse off before repeating the day again tomorrow.

“Is it good?” Jisung asks, a little nervous that the older wouldn’t like it for whatever reason.

“It’s delicious, Sung, thank you,” Minho replies. Jisung quickly rinses off in the shower while he’s eating and changes into his comfy sweater and shorts. Minho is just finishing eating when he finishes his shower, and Jisung flops right onto the couch with an “oof”.

“Do you wanna watch a movie?” Minho asks as he’s rinsing out the to-go container.

“I would, but I feel like I’m gonna pass right out,” Jisung groans out.

“We could just watch it in my room then, no problem,” Minho replies nonchalantly. Jisung’s heart instantly picks up at the suggestion- he’d get to sleep alongside Minho again tonight. “I moved some of your stuff over to my mom’s today and she had an old TV that she wanted me to take, so I got it set up today after Felix left.”

“That was nice of her,” Jisung says, taking up residence in Minho’s bed. “What movie are we watching?”

“Spirited Away,” Minho responds instantly. “I’ve been wanting to watch a Ghibli film for a while.”

Minho puts the movie on and turns the lights off, climbing into bed next to Jisung. They’re quiet watching the movie, but a part of the movie makes Jisung laugh.

“I wish my parents would just turn into pigs like that,” Jisung jokes.

“They already are pigs,” Minho jokes back. Jisung feels so comfortable in Minho’s bed that he passes out right after their humorous exchange, and the younger can only hope that he wasn’t dreaming when he heard Minho whisper “good night Sung”.

The rest of the week continues in their normal fashion- and Jisung feels himself getting excited for Friday night. Since the week prior was such a disaster, neither boy drank alcohol, but now they both seemed to need it after the exhausting week they’ve had.

Jisung, miraculously, has the day off of work, and decides to ask Seungmin to buy him and Minho some alcohol before the latter leaves for work. When they went shopping, Jisung instructed Seungmin on where to go as he pushed the cart. Jisung decided on making quesadillas for him and Minho for dinner, a bit of a switch from their takeout habits this week. The two rolled around to the cooler section, where Jisung picked out a peach and black cherry flavored Mike’s Lemonade, figuring the two packs would be enough to get them wasted.

After fooling the cashier with a fake ID and heading home, Jisung took the initiative to sweep and dust the apartment, something that hadn’t been done in a couple of weeks. Once it was close to dinner time, Jisung called it a day and began cooking for the two, plating the quesadillas just as Minho walked in the door. They both enjoyed the food, Minho even going as far as to compliment how much better Jisung had gotten at cooking.

Once the dishes were tag-teamed, the two boys settled into their routine- setting up Jisung’s laptop with a Japanese movie that Felix recommended. It’s hardly even background noise, because as soon as Minho finishes off two bottles of Mike’s, Jisung is right behind him.

“You look like you’re doing pretty well,” Minho notices.

“Yeah, meeting your mom really helped,” Jisung replies. Minho is silent for a bit, before speaking up again.

“Honestly, I’ve been really stressed about that,” Minho admits. “About what she said to you regarding me.”

“It was just her trying to be a mom, you know? She worries about you, I’m sure.”

“It’s more about what she said than who said it,” Minho says with a slight slur. Jisung can tell that he’s already getting a little tipsy, and maybe Jisung is too. “I really feel like I’ll never be able to find love or be vulnerable with someone in my life.”

Minho takes a hard swig after saying that, downing nearly half the bottle.

“Well, I know you won’t end up like your father, so what’s stopping you?” Jisung wonders aloud.

“I know that,” Minho snorts. “But I’ll always be in my mom’s position. Not that you would know, but I’ve been cheated on. Despite that, I still gave them another chance, and they cheated on me again.”

The idea hits Jisung like a ton of bricks. How much Minho sees himself in his mom’s shoes, where he isn’t good enough to ask his partner to stay, where he keeps going back because there’s no other choice. Jisung vaguely remembers Felix saying that Minho was cheated on before, but that feels like a millennia ago. Now, knowing Minho’s true heart, he can say that he’s truly angry at whoever caused Minho to feel this way.

“And I know that you’re probably wondering how I’m so insecure about this, since I have people waiting in line just to sleep with me, but I can’t help it. I don’t think that I’ll ever be able to find anyone who loves me as much as I love them.”

That statement is the statement that sends an arrow of shock through Jisung’s body. A loud voice in his head tells him that now is the time to confess, now is the time to reassure Minho that he can be loved just like anyone else.

And with the alcohol clouding his judgement, Jisung mutters a small ‘fuck it’ before leaning in and crashing his lips onto Minho’s. The older boy seems to be shocked, but starts to kiss back, letting his free hand draw up to Jisung’s neck. His lips taste like black cherry and there’s no magic spark, only a feeling of coming home. They both kiss for what feels like ages and seconds, Jisung taking the opportunity to swing his leg over Minho’s lap to straddle him. That creates a soft moan from the older, and Jisung wants more, more, more. The hands on his waist are burning and the soft lips he’s kissing are addictive enough to bite. He’s about to place kisses onto the underside of Minho’s jaw, when a crash of a bottle next to him brings Jisung back to reality. He immediately pulls away, breathless and red, and can’t bring himself to make eye contact with Minho before rushing to pull his shoes on and get away.

It takes a lot of fumbling, from missing his shoe to nearly tripping down the steep steps to their apartment, but Jisung makes it to the end of the stairs and sits, letting the cool air clear his mind.

‘I fucked up so bad’, Jisung thinks. ‘He opened up to me and I just completely ruined it.’

The only idea Jisung has that involves getting away for the night is texting Seungmin, who miraculously happened to be awake at such an hour.

Jisung:  
I ned u to get em  
Its imoortant

Seungmin:  
Are you at your apartment?  
I’m coming now

Jisung:  
Yes

Jisung feels like he waits only a minute before Seungmin pulls up with his blinding headlights. He manages to stumble his way to the car, vision still not at its peak despite the cooling air.

“What happened?” Seungmin asks in a panicked voice.

“I kissed Minho,” Jisung says. The two share a beat of silence before Jisung starts to wail. “I kissed Minho and now everything is fucked up, Seungmin! Everything!”

Seungmin leaves one hand draped on Jisung’s shoulder and tries to rub comforting circles into his back as he drives back to his house.

“You’re really drunk, Jisung, you’re probably over exaggerating. I don’t think you’ve messed anything up.”

“I really did, Seungmin, I need to start looking for places to move in the morning and- oh god, I can’t even afford that, right? Starbucks doesn’t pay enough for rent and tuition,” Jisung drags on, bringing himself to nearly hyperventilate. Seungmin pulls the car over to the shoulder of the road and turns Jisung to look at him.

“Hey, Jisung, look at me,” he says softly. “You’re really drunk right now, so don’t think too hard about that stuff. We’ll work something out for you in the morning, okay?”

“I have work tomorrow, though,” Jisung pouts. “How can I go in looking like this?”

“You can borrow some of my clothes and my apron, Sung.” Seungmin manages to calm Jisung down enough to finish the drive back home, where his parents are already sleeping. They both sneak in quietly, the only words spoken whispered between them.

“Do you want me to set up some blankets on the floor for you?” Seungmin asks.

“Can I sleep next to you?” Jisung asks back.

“Yes, but change out of those clothes first. Here,” Seungmin tosses him a t-shirt and sweatpants from his drawer, but realizes that Jisung is too inebriated to complete that task on his own. He helps the boy take his clothes off and change into something much cozier. Once they’re cuddled up on Seungmin’s queen sized bed, Jisung can’t help but pay attention to the nagging feeling in his heart that something is wrong. He pulls his phone out to see if Minho maybe messaged him, but his screen is void of notifications. Jisung feels his heart drop, and moves closer to Seungmin for comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... they kissed 👀


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You don’t remember anything about last night?” Seungmin asks, taking a seat next to Jisung.
> 
> “I remember making those quesadillas and… I think Minho and I had a deep conversation but I can’t remember what it was about.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The climax... is here!!! Please enjoy!!!!

There are noticeable bags sitting under Jisung’s eyes, but the younger can’t feel anything other than the pounding headache he’s getting from the sun. He groans and rolls over to shield his eyes, when he bumps into something strange. Thinking it’s Minho, Jisung just maneuvers around the body and sighs. He’s tired, in pain, and can’t remember what happened to him last night.

“Jisung,” a voice rings out that certainly isn’t Minho’s. Jisung’s eyes shoot open to see Seungmin right in front of him with a concerned look on his face.

“Do you need me to get you some Advil?” Not trusting his voice, Jisung nods slightly. Seungmin is gone for a few seconds before reappearing with some pills and a glass of water. After moistening his dry mouth and Seungmin closing the blinds, Jisung is able to speak.

“Why am I here?” he asks, hands rubbing at tired eyes.

“You don’t remember anything about last night?” Seungmin asks, taking a seat next to Jisung.

“I remember making those quesadillas and… I think Minho and I had a deep conversation but I can’t remember what it was about.”

“Well, you guys sure had a conversation alright,” Seungmin laughs. “I don’t know if I wanna tell you or not.”

“Come on Min, I have to work later,” Jisung complains, then grabs his phone in a panic to check the time. It was already 11, and his shift started at noon. “I have work in an hour!”

“I know, now get up and get changed. I left some clothes that might fit you on the counter in the bathroom.” Jisung was beyond grateful for his friend, but he couldn’t help but wonder what happened the night before to make him end up at Seungmin’s house.

After changing into clothes that were just slightly loose in a few places, Jisung felt a little more awake.

“You have to tell me what happened,” Jisung whines, flopping onto Seungmin’s bed as the other searches for a clean apron that Jisung can use. “I’m guessing it has to do with Minho.”

“You’d guess right,” Seungmin sighs as he examines an apron that only has a couple of mocha stains near the pockets. He throws the apron at Jisung, who catches it. “You told me that you kissed him last night and, quote unquote, ruined everything.”

Some of the memories begin to return- the deep conversation about Minho’s insecurities, sitting outside on the steps with the breeze, the feeling of Minho’s hands on his waist.

“Fuck.”

“Fuck is right,” Seungmin says. “Why would you do that?”

“I was drunk and… he opened up about his insecurities and I just couldn’t help myself.”

“We’ll talk about this after you get off work,” Seungmin states, getting up to leave. “But I don’t think it’s the end of the world. If he kissed you back, that’s a good sign.”

“It’s probably because he was drunk,” Jisung argues back.

“He could say the same about you,” Seungmin counters. “Now let’s go drop you off.”

The ride to Starbucks is a short one, considering that Seungmin lives pretty close to campus. Fortunately, his shift goes by quickly, partly because it’s a short 4 hour shift and partly because he isn’t able to worry about what happened the night prior. His coworkers notice that something’s up, though, when he’s sitting in the back room after his shift.

“Does the bus not run on Saturdays?” Jiyoon, one of the morning shifts that Jisung hardly ever sees, asks when she heads to the back room for her break.

“It uh, it does. I’m just waiting for Seungmin to pick me up, I’m spending the night with him,” Jisung replies.

“I know you had a few days off last week, is everything okay?” she asks, setting her breakfast sandwich and drink next to where Jisung is sitting. Even though they hardly know each other, it still makes Jisung feel good when she asks him how he’s doing.

“Yeah, everything pretty much worked itself out,” Jisung assures her with a smile. She nods and eats her sandwich while Jisung plays on his phone. Seungmin doesn’t get out of work for another 2 hours- so Jisung is stuck in the back room with just his phone and his thoughts.

About 20 minutes pass by with Jisung bored out of his mind, before he receives a text notification. Thinking it’s Seungmin, Jisung clicks on it right away.

Minho’s Mom:  
Hi Jisung. Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? Just the two of us, I’d like to talk about some things

Jisung’s heart rate picks up at the mention of “talking about things”, but manages to reply.

Jisung:  
I’d love to, but unfortunately I’m at work for the next couple of hours and wouldn’t have a ride

Minho’s Mom:  
That’s no issue, I went shopping by campus just a few minutes ago. I’ll be over to pick you up.

Well, that’s one way to get out of going home and facing Minho. Jisung puts all the hard feelings aside, all his worries and doubts, and brings himself over to the parking lot where Minho’s mom has already arrived. He waves at her as he’s walking to her car, and they both talk about work and cooking on their way back to her house, a ride that was surprisingly more comfortable than Jisung expected.

Minho’s mom is truly what Jisung always wanted in a mother- a parent who looks out for you without letting their worries get in the way of their relationship. It seemed like she cared so much about Minho, yet never crossed the line like his own parents did daily. Although things could be different behind the scenes, Jisung got such a warm feeling from Jiyoung.

Once they get to the house and head to the kitchen, Minho’s mom mentions something that makes his blood go cold.

“Also, Jisung,” she says. “You don’t have to keep the act up around me.”

“Uhm,” Jisung says nervously, wondering what he could’ve possibly said to give anything away. “I don’t really know what you’re talking about?”

“Minho told me everything this morning,” she started, pulling out some of the groceries from bags on the counter. “About the marriage and how you’re both just friends.”

Jisung could feel his heart drop right to his stomach.

“I’m so sorry for lying to you, I really didn’t intend for-”

“Jisung, I’m not here to lecture you,” Minho’s mom chuckles. “Hand me that wooden spatula there would you?”

Jisung carefully grabs the spatula from the drying rack of dishes, and helps to set up the plates for the two while Jiyoung cooks. It didn’t take long, as she just made fried rice with shrimp, and both began to eat in silence.

“You know, Minho told me about what happened last night as well,” she states. Jisung’s eyes go wide, shocked that Minho even remembers.

“Did he… seem upset?” Jisung asked tentatively. He still hadn’t received anything from Minho all day, and wasn’t sure how the older would be feeling right now.

“Definitely,” she fires back way too easily. Jisung slumps in his chair a little as his brain begins to think of a hundred things he can do to give Minho some space. To maybe even move out… “But probably not in the way you’re thinking. I’ve already said too much, but you both need to communicate.”

“I’m worried I’m going to hurt him. Or that I already have,” Jisung admits, taking the last bite of his dish. He suddenly didn’t feel as hungry as when he first sat down to eat. “I really care about him a lot.”

“I know, and he cares about you too. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” Those words are enough to put a spark in Jisung, just a glimmer of hope. It felt like the situation with his mother again, he may as well go all in.

“I need to see him,” Jisung says, standing up to place his plate in the sink. Minho’s mother isn’t far behind, and she’s ushering the younger boy out the door before he can change his mind.

The ride home is painful for Jisung, and he’s unable to control the bounce in his leg or the way his nails pick at skin. Minho’s mom is kind enough to turn the music up, as a distraction from the thoughts in his head. When they’re getting close to the apartment, Jisung realizes something.

“He isn’t gonna be home,” Jisung mumbles loud enough for Jiyoung to hear. “He told me he was going to be at the studio.”

He turns to see if Jiyoung is up for the drive, and she has no problem changing her GPS to the studio that Jisung has only visited once. When she pulls into the parking lot, Jisung almost forgets to thank her for everything. Before he leaves the car, she grabs his wrist.

“I know my son is stubborn, but just know that even if things don’t go as planned, I’m here for you Jisung.”

Jisung tucks that information in the back of his head to cry over later. He thanks her and quickly heads into the studio, which looks a lot different with all the lights turned on. Taking a wild guess as to where Minho is, Jisung picks the same studio that they practiced in together.

The door makes a loud creak, silencing the loud laughter and screams of children. ‘I should’ve knocked’ Jisung thinks before poking his head in to see none other than Minho. He’s standing at the front of the class, talking to a girl that looks to still be in high school. Many kids turn around and focus their eyes on Jisung as Minho continues to talk to the girl.

“Lino! Lino!” some children chanted, trying to get his attention like children would do in elementary school. Jisung saw Minho look concerned until his eyes lifted to meet Jisung’s, who was now standing in the doorway. Jisung can’t seem to find the words to say, so he just stares until Minho speaks up.

“I’ll be right back, make sure to listen to Miss Momo, okay?” He addresses the class of 15 kids, all very agreeable. Minho doesn’t say a word to Jisung as they walk towards a room labeled “office”, closing the door to give them privacy. It’s now Jisung’s turn to start talking, but he isn’t sure where to start, so he goes for what he knows best.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Minho replies easily, and if Jisung didn’t know Minho well enough he’d say that he wasn’t affected by the night before at all.

“I’m starting to fall in love with you,” Jisung blurts out, letting all the feelings he’s held back for so long spill out to the boy in front of him. He looks up to see Minho’s shocked reaction, which he can’t tell is good or bad, and continues to ramble on. “I know that this could ruin everything, and I’m totally fine with getting the divorce and never contacting you again if this makes things awkward. I just thought you should know how I feel, but if you feel like this isn’t- isn’t right, then just tell me now, and I won’t-”

“Jisung,” Minho interrupts him. “Please, stop.”

The pang in Jisung’s chest is similar to the one felt when his mother texted him to get his things out of the house. His feelings unwelcomed. Rejected. He starts to tear up before he notices Minho has tears gathering in his eyes as well. The older just wraps his arms around Jisung’s neck and stays like that for a while, simply breathing in the presence of each other. It’s a stark contrast to the intimate moment they shared last night, but also similar in so many ways.

“I really, really, never wanted to fall in love with anyone, and the marriage made things so messy,” Minho starts. Jisung’s breath gets caught in his throat, and is bracing himself for the impact of rejection. “But I can never get you out of my head, even when I dance. I always try to show you my best self yet I always end up hurting you. But I can’t handle being cheated on again, and if you break my heart I will just be so, so devastated, Jisung.”

The sudden confession leaves Jisung in tears, wiping at them before they can reach Minho’s shirt.

“I promise you that I will do the absolute most to protect you and your heart, I never want to hurt you either,” Jisung replies with his whole heart. It feels so light to get such a heavy burden off his chest, and Jisung thinks he could stay in Minho’s arms forever. There’s no magic kiss, no instant connection between the two, but a reached understanding that the two boys share.

Minho holds Jisung until he finishes crying as they come up with a game plan.

“How did you even get here?” Minho asks, rubbing at the tear streaks that Jisung so desperately tried to avoid.

“Your mom drove me over,” Jisung says with a laugh. They both clean up their faces in the one stall bathroom using the sink that only has cold water, and return to Minho’s class. On their short walk back, Minho interlocks his pinky with Jisung’s, as a way to be reassuring without causing mass destruction in front of elementary aged children.

“I’m here for another hour, if you’d like to stay and watch,” Minho offers.

“I don’t exactly have another way home,” Jisung replies. “But I guess I don’t mind watching you teach.”

The hour goes by quickly, and Jisung gets so wrapped up with Minho’s expertise around children that he completely forgets about Seungmin. He’s only reminded when a buzz comes from the pocket of his oversized pants.

Seungmin:  
Do you still need a ride??  
Hello???  
Earth to Jisung?  
I just called the store and they said you left??  
You either disappeared off the face of the earth or you and Minho made up  
I really hope it’s the latter because I need my apron back

Jisung can’t help but smile at his friend’s texts, full of teasing but laced with concern. He tells Seungmin that everything is good now, and that he’ll return his apron on Monday. Jisung goes to put his phone in his pocket, but not before recording a few videos of Minho with some of the children. 

You can’t blame him, it’s just too cute to pass up.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I swear everyone has a fake ID except for me,” Jisung complains when Hyunjin pulls out the drinks from a cooler bag.
> 
> “And sex toys,” Seungmin laughs, making Jisung’s ears go red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE NOTE that there is a sex scene at the end of this chapter! If that makes you uncomfortable, please skip from "'Night.' Jisung closed the bedroom door enough to block out the light" and continue at "I would’ve argued with you if you were gonna make me shower". I hope everyone enjoys the final chapter of this fic!!!

“Condensed milk!”

“Got it!”

“Biscuit mix!”

“On it!”

“Salt and pepper?”

“It’s right in front of you, babe,” Jisung laughs, helping Minho prep dinner for tonight. It was a bit different than normal, and Jisung could tell that Miho was just a little bit more stressed than normal to perfect the recipe. Their friends were going to be coming over, finally able to all get together again after dealing with multiple work schedules. Minho just sighs at the obvious ingredients in front of him, and Jisung giggles again.

“Worst case scenario is that it comes out terribly and we just order a pizza. Not the end of the world,” Jisung reassures his boyfriend. It was weird, being able to call the boy in front of him such a possessive and endearing term. Boyfriend. It made Jisung feel giddy inside.

“No but I’ll never hear the end of it from Hyunjin or Felix,” Minho replies. Jisung lets him do his thing, putting all the ingredients together in a pan and setting it in the oven to bake. As he did that, Jisung came up from behind and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s waist, leaving a small kiss on the nape of his neck.

“It’ll turn out fine, it did last time you made it.”

“Alright, alright,” Minho replies, allowing himself to relax in Jisung’s arms. They stay like this for a while, relaxed by the other’s presence, until the first indication of one of their friends knocks on the front door. Minho is released from Jisung’s arms and heads over to open it, but not before placing bets as to who it is.

“I think it’s Felix and Chan,” Jisung says.

“Definitely not Felix, he’s always running late. My bet is on Hyunjin and his crew,” Minho says before opening the door. The wording makes Jisung laugh, as it seems like Hyunjin had a harem or something of the sort.

And, sure enough, standing at the door was Hyunjin, Changbin, and Seungmin. Minho greets them with a smile and invites them in, all three having totally different reactions to the apartment.

“This is so bland! Where’s the flavor?” Hyunjin gasps, looking at the empty walls. “Why isn’t anything decorated?”

“You’ll be severely disappointed by my cooking, then,” Minho jokes.

“Your cooking is fine, Minho!” Jisung yells from the kitchen.

“It’s a nice size, though,” Changbin observes, looking around the area. “I’m sure it costs a pretty penny.”

“Hence why nothing is decorated,” Jisung jokes from the kitchen, then decides to join the boys in the living room. Seungmin takes notice and goes to wrap an arm around his shoulder.

“Feels like I haven’t seen you in forever,” Seungmin complains.

“I literally just saw you two days ago,” Jisung replies, but feels warm at the obvious affection from his friend.

“And we used to work every day together, what’s your point?” Seungmin laughs, letting his arm slip away from Jisung’s shoulder.

This new group, consisting of Seungmin, Changbin, and Hyunjin was still relatively new. Only a few days after Jisung and Minho sorted out their feelings did Seungmin text the former, freaking out for no good reason. Jisung ended up calling him and talking him through his thoughts, which now consisted of a long time crush on Hyunjin and a blooming crush on Changbin. Jisung had to calmly suggest that maybe he should talk to Hyunjin and Changbin about his feelings, even if it meant some awkwardness or giving up their “friends with benefits” situation.

Shockingly, Seungmin took his advice and everyone discussed their feelings, which led to a realization that both Changbin and Hyunjin had been slowly falling in love with Seungmin as well. It went the best way it possibly could, and now the trio were trying polyamory. They all seemed to be happy, and Jisung was beyond relieved that Seungmin didn’t end up with his heart broken in the end.

Last to arrive were Felix and Chan, which Minho suspected would be the case. Chan was very apologetic, but Felix was just happy to see his friends together. Once everyone had gotten comfortable, the timer on the oven went off and everyone lined up for a plate of Minho’s chicken casserole, which ended up tasting amazing.

“See, I told you,” Jisung said, nudging his elbow into Minho’s side.

“Yeah this is really good, since when did you become a good cook?” Felix asks.

“It’s expensive to keep ordering out, I had to learn,” Minho replies.

“His mom actually gave us some lessons,” Jisung pipes up.

Once everyone was full and dishes were set in the sink for the couple to clean later, the group all settled in the living room. Luckily Minho’s mom had spared a couple of chairs for them to use tonight, because seating was at a minimum in their apartment. The trio took the couch space, Felix and Chan claimed the chairs, and Minho and Jisung settled together on the floor.

Changbin, being one of the only smart ones in their group, offered to bring Cards Against Humanity when they were planning to get together. In direct relation, Hyunjin offered to bring over alcohol, even though Jisung was a little weary of it after the last time he got drunk.

“I swear everyone has a fake ID except for me,” Jisung complains when Hyunjin pulls out the drinks from a cooler bag.

“And sex toys,” Seungmin laughs, making Jisung’s ears go red.

“Well…” Jisung trails off, making Seungmin shocked in return.

“What?!” Seungmin and Felix screech at the same time, crowding the younger boy.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I tell you everything!”

“I can’t talk about this right now,” Jisung mumbles, regretting his choice to startle Seungmin.

“Hyunie, get Jisung the strongest drink you’ve got,” Seungmin yells to his boyfriend who’s still in the kitchen.

“Got it!” Hyunjin yells back. Changbin just shakes his head in disapproval, but continues to set up the game for everyone to play.

“I’m sorry about them, Jisung,” Changbin apologizes sincerely, and Jisung can’t help but smile.

“Bin,” Seungmin whines, pulling on the sleeve of his shirt. They start whispering to each other, so Jisung tunes out of their conversation, knowing it’s not his place. Instead, he turns his attention to his own boyfriend sitting next to him, his head on Jisung’s shoulder.

“So how come you didn’t tell me you bought a sex toy, hm?” Minho asks lowly, only enough for Jisung to hear.

‘Oh shit’ Jisung thinks. The toy was supposed to be a surprise, but now the cat’s out of the bag and Minho seems like he won’t give up on the topic.

“It, uh, didn’t come up?” Jisung replies, trying to end the conversation to end there. It seems to work, because Minho doesn’t bring it up again after the drinks are all passed out.

“I added two shots of vodka to Jisung’s drink, so he should get wasted pretty fast,” Hyunjin laughs, settling into his spot on the couch.

“You guys are responsible if I do something stupid again,” Jisung argues, taking a gulp of his drink. It definitely tastes strong, but Jisung doesn’t mind the taste.

“What, like accidentally marrying your soulmate?” Felix asks with a scoff. “I can’t believe how well that situation actually ended.”

“I’m sure it was really stressful, though,” Chan reassured Jisung.

“Can we please start this game and stop picking on Jisung please?” Changbin begs, already having dealt the cards to everyone.

“I think I like Changbin the best here,” Jisung says, picking up his own set of cards. He hears a laugh from his boyfriend beside him, but doesn’t say anything. The game goes about as smoothly as any Cards Against Humanity game could go with alcohol, and Jisung swears he almost started crying a couple times out of sheer laughter.

“Okay, ‘Betcha can’t have just one!’” Hyunjin reads the black card out, allowing the other players to set down their responses.

“Oh my god, I’ve got this one,” Felix exclaims, slamming his card on the table.

“Nah, mine’s gold,” Changbin replies with a smirk.

Once all the responses are in, Hyunjin picks them up and starts laughing so hard, and can’t even speak when he places the winning card in the middle of the table. It simply says “a boyfriend”, and the whole group absolutely loses it.

“Oh my god, that’s fucking hilarious,” Felix says, wiping tears away from his eyes.

“Who put that down?!” Jisung asks in between giggles.

Chan slowly raises his hand, and everyone starts laughing again at the sheer absurdness.

“I could’ve sworn that was Seungmin’s card,” Changbin exclaimed.

They continued to play together for a couple of hours, sharing lots of laughs and teasing each other much more comfortably than the first time the group met and played truth or dare.

And speaking of truth or dare…

“We should play truth or dare now, just for old times’ sake,” Hyunjin suggests while helping Changbin put the cards away.

“It’s only been a few months since then,” Changbin laughs at his boyfriend’s terrible concept of time.

“It feels like ages ago though, come on,” Hyunjin complains.

“I’ve only ever had bad experiences with truth or dare so I’ll pass,” Jisung opts out, moving to sit closer to Minho.

“No, I think it’s a great idea,” Minho unhelpfully supplies, getting everyone in the spirit. Jisung turns his head to pout at Minho, but the older has a mischievous smirk on his face.

Jisung’s dreading truth or dare when it becomes Minho’s turn.

“Jisung,” Minho asks with a sweet smile. “Truth or dare.”

“I don’t trust you,” Jisung snaps back, refusing to choose.

“Ok, truth then,” Minho says, ignoring Jisung’s protest. “When did you buy that sex toy?”

That conversation had completely left Jisung’s mind, so it left him totally off guard. He could hear Seungmin gasp next to him and saw Felix’s mouth gape.

“You never told your own BOYFRIEND you got a sex toy?” Felix yells.

“It was a surprise!” Jisung yelled back. “And I bought it a week ago.”

“Interesting,” Minho hums, placing a free hand on Jisung’s back. He relaxes into it, even if he did just expose him. The game continues on but Jisung starts to get sleepy. He drank enough that he’s tired, but not enough to be drunk. It’s already nearing midnight, which is close to the time Jisung would normally fall asleep.

“Do you need me to get you some water?” Minho whispers.

“No, ‘m just tired,” Jisung replies. “Can we cuddle?”

“If you’re fine with Felix and Hyunjin pointing it out,” Minho says. Jisung just shrugs and makes his way into Minho’s lap, comforted by the warm chest behind him. He can hear the chatter around him die down until Hyunjin’s voice cuts through the silence.

“Oh my god babe, look at them,” Hyunjin says in awe.

“I don’t know who you’re talking to, Jin,” Changbin replies.

“Both of you,” he says, eyes still trained on the two cuddling.

“I lowkey was the one who brought them together,” Seungmin brags.

“Hey, I think I deserve that title,” Felix whines. “They wouldn’t have even met if I didn’t drag Sung to that party.”

“But I’m the one who dared Minho to kiss the hottest person in the room,” Seungmin argues.

“He has a point, Lix,” Hyunjin says, defending his boyfriend.

“I’ll always be on the losing side now,” Felix complains, slumping in his seat. Chan instantly reaches to grab his hand and comfort him, which makes Jisung giggle.

“I think it’s Jisung’s bed time now,” Minho states, trying to get the other boys to leave. It worked, because soon they were each getting Uber rides home. Jisung was forced to get up and say goodbye to everyone, but not before both Seungmin and Felix told him how happy he looked next to Minho. Soon the apartment was quiet, with glasses of half drunk alcoholic drinks and dishes stacked in the sink. It exhausted Jisung to even look at it, but it seemed that Minho had enough energy to clean them tonight.

“You go to bed, I’ll take care of this,” Minho said, heading to the kitchen.

“Are you sure? I can do them tomorrow,” Jisung offered, pulling on the sleeves of his hoodie.

“Positive, now go get some sleep,” Minho replied, giving Jisung a kiss on his forehead. “Goodnight, Sung.”

“Night.” Jisung closed the bedroom door enough to block out the light and crawled into Minho’s bed, but couldn’t seem to fall asleep. The alcohol had already worn off to be just a tingle under his skin, but there was another urge that simply wouldn’t go away. Jisung was horny, especially after talking about the sex toy in front of Minho, and now he couldn’t stop thinking about the last few times they had sex together.

Jisung agreed to bottom, after a painstaking conversation about limits and kinks and turn-ons. The younger boy was left red and flustered, but Minho assured him that he just wanted to make him feel good. Jisung liked to be taken care of, a pillow princess if you will, and Minho was more than happy to oblige.

So now, with the water running in the kitchen and an itch under his skin, Jisung is slightly regretting not buying a cute lingerie set to surprise his boyfriend. Regardless, he pulls out a box from the closet where he hid the sex toy- a small vibrator that he knew Minho would have a blast with.

It felt like Minho was taking forever with the dishes, but Jisung finally heard the water turn off and the door slowly creak open. Once Minho saw the younger boy sitting up, not asleep at all, he got concerned.

“Everything okay, Sung?” Minho asks, climbing into bed next to him. “I thought you were really tired.”

“I’m okay, just, uh,” Jisung starts, unsure of how to explain to his boyfriend that he was horny as fuck. “Can we, maybe, do it?”

Minho is confused for a second, but then realization comes across his face.

“Are you sure? Aren’t you still drunk?” Minho asks, concerned.

“It all wore off by now, look,” Jisung swears, getting up to show Minho that he can, indeed, walk in a straight line. Minho giggles and pulls Jisung back into bed, mumbling a “cute” before peppering his face with kisses.

“You’re too cute for your own good,” Minho praises him, making Jisung’s head go fuzzy. “Did you want to show me your surprise now?”

Jisung sits there for a minute, a bit confused as well, until he remembers the vibrator now sitting under his pillow. He grabs it and pulls it out for Minho to take, inspecting the quality and buttons.

“Do you want me to use this on you tonight?” Minho asks, making sure to get consent before jumping in. It’s something that Jisung’s grateful for, because he would have no idea where to start.

“Yes please,” Jisung says, making sure to use his words as Minho taught him.

“Alright baby, how about you get undressed for me,” he suggests, going to take his own shirt off. Jisung listens and takes everything off except his boxers.

“Can I kiss you?” Jisung asks timidly.

“Of course,” Minh responds, leaning in to kiss Jisung tenderly. Unlike the last few times of pure love and adoration, Jisung can feel how Minho is getting impatient. Not that Minho would ever say anything, but Jisung is just as impatient. Jisung removes his underwear in the middle of their kiss, hands moving up to Minho’s hair after. That’s one thing that Minho mentioned he loved- hands in his hair, and Jisung took advantage of it as much as he could.

They continued to kiss until Minho broke it off, trailing kisses from Jisung’s neck to the span of his chest.

“I’m going to use the vibrator now baby, are you ready?” Minho asks, grabbing the toy from where it sat beside him.

“Yes,” Jisung whines out, impatiently waiting for Minho to do something.

He does do something, by placing the vibrator at the lowest setting on Jisung’s nipple, leaving it there as he leant down to take the other in his mouth. Jisung let out a small moan as encouragement, and Minho switched back and forth between the toy and his own mouth. It felt good, something Jisung never thought he’d like, but almost everything felt good with Minho.

“Feels good,” Jisung says breathlessly.

“It’ll feel a lot better in a minute,” Minho assures him, shifting around to grab lube and a condom out of their bedside table. He gave Jisung a couple of tugs on his cock, causing Jisung to whine from the sensitivity, and then gave him instructions.

“Can you hold the vibrator here,” Minho explained, placing the toy where he wanted it on Jisung’s dick. “While I prep you?”

Jisung nodded, okay with only having to hold the toy there. The vibrations were a lot, even though it was on the lowest setting, so the younger was squirming as Minho prepped him for his cock. By the time Minho was three fingers in, Jisung was whining like a porn star, hands shaking from the vibrations and anticipation of what was to come next.

“Good job baby, here,” Minho said, taking the toy and turning it off. He set it to the side for a moment, focusing on Jisung’s body first and foremost. The intrusion didn’t feel as weird as the first time they’d had sex a week ago, and with being so stretched Jisung simply moaned at the feeling of being filled.

After their first time, Jisung understood why Felix talked about and liked sex so much. It felt so overwhelmingly good, and he was so glad to experience it with Minho who knew what he was doing. Minho was careful and was most concerned about Jisung’s comfort over anything else.

Once Minho was fully sat inside of Jisung, the younger started to move his hips, unable to wait for Minho to start moving.

“You’re really needy tonight, love,” Minho said endearingly. “Just don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t,” Jisung promised. “Just move, please.”

So he did, slowly pulling out and pushing back in. Minho started to gain a rhythm, but still hadn’t found Jisung’s prostate until he shifted his hips just slightly. Jisung threw his head back, moaning loudly, unashamed of how good Minho made him feel.

“Feel good baby?” Minho asks, making sure he’s comfortable enough.

“Yes yes yes,” Jisung cries out.

Minho starts to pick up his pace, now assured that Jisung’s feeling just as good as he is, and chooses a brutal pace that’ll leave bruises on both of them in the morning. They’re both impatient and horny though, so neither of them mind.

“I’m getting close,” Jisung chokes out around moans. At that, Minho decides to pick the vibrator back up and set it to a medium setting on the tip of Jisung’s leaking and red cock. The younger screams and instantly cums on the spot, hips lifting and stilling from the stimulation. Minho isn’t far behind, and releases right into the condom as soon as Jisung cums. Minho turns the vibrator off quickly, knowing that it’d be too much for Jisung to handle currently, and pulls out. They’re both panting, tired from the rough fuck.

“That was fun,” Jisung says, reaching to grab a tissue from their bed stand. Minho grabs the tissue from Jisung and cleans the younger himself, making sure to get every bit of cum left on his stomach.

“We’ll have to try out the different settings on this thing too,” Minho replies, throwing the condom and tissue away and placing the vibrator in their box of toys. “We can shower in the morning, it’s way too late now.”

“I would’ve argued with you if you were gonna make me shower, so I’m glad you’re being reasonable,” Jisung laughs, snuggling up next to his boyfriend when he comes back to bed.

“I’m always reasonable,” Minho pouts, wrapping his arms around Jisung.

“For the most part, I guess,” Jisung agrees. “Except when we got married, you were so obsessed with getting a divorce right away.”

“Well I never wanted to get married anyways,” Minho argues.

“And yet here we are, an old married couple,” Jisung laughs.

“I don’t think an old married couple would do what we just did,” Minho counters.

“No, you’re right,” Jisung says. “I guess you are a bit more reasonable than I thought.”

“See?”

“But not by much.” Jisung bursts into laughter as Minho pushes the younger away from him.

“I’m done listening to your slander,” Minho states, turning so that he isn’t facing Jisung anymore. 

“Well you’re stuck with me, I don’t know what to tell you.” After a beat of silence, Minho speaks up in a much different tone than before.

“You know, I started to fall in love way back when we got married,” Minho admits, the intimacy from sex and being together bringing the truth out.

“Really?” Jisung asks, curious to hear why.

“Because on the way to Vegas you mapped out the freckles on my left arm and told me about how I was like the universe and held stars all over my body and in my eyes.” Jisung just laughs and agrees that he most definitely said something outrageous like that.

“Is that why you got those really spicy wings the next day?” Jisung asks.

“Yeah, because I didn’t know how to cope and needed something else to focus on,” Minho laughs.

“I love you,” Jisung blurts out, unable to hold his emotions back. It isn’t a lie, but Jisung didn’t expect it and neither did Minho apparently. He freezes up and turns around to look Jisung in the eyes.

“Really?” Minho asks, a little bit breathless.

“Of course, there’s so much I love about you,” Jisung replies with a smile. Minho examines his face and relaxes, letting his eyes close.

“I can’t believe you’re all mine,” Minho says in a daze. “I guess truth or dare can’t be all that bad, huh.”

“I’d beg to differ, because now I’m stuck married to you.”

“Oh my god nope, nope, I’m not giving you cuddles the rest of the night.”

“Babe!”

Thus sets off a round of pouts, hugs, and face kisses, which leads Jisung into a deep and comfortable sleep next to his boyfriend, his husband, and the boy he grew to love so dearly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I honestly feel a little emotional after finishing this fic. It's my first multi chaptered fic that I've actually finished, and I'm just really proud of how it turned out. I really appreciate every single person who commented and gave kudos as well!! If you'd like to follow me on Twitter, my handle is @honey_hyunjin (one underscore). I plan on putting out a Chanlix medieval AU out soon, but classes have been getting in the way, so I hope to upload it in the next month or so. Again, thank you to every single person who read and enjoyed this journey as much as I did!!!! ♡


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